Israel vows to ramp up airstrikes on Gaza as it prepares for ‘next stage of war’ with tanks & troops massed on border

ISRAEL last night vowed to ramp up airstrikes on Gaza as it prepares for the "next stage of war".

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said bombing raids will be crucial in "minimising danger" to create the "best conditions" for invasion.

Tens of thousands of troops and huge columns of tanks remain massed on the Israel-Gaza border awaiting orders.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday night, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said: “We have to enter the next phase of the war in the best conditions, not according to what anyone tells us.

"From today, we are increasing the strikes and minimising the danger."

It comes as an Israeli aircraft struck the Jenin refugee camp early on Sunday in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian medics said at least one person was killed and several others wounded.

The IDF said it struck a compound beneath the al-Ansar Mosque that it said was being used by militants to organise attacks.

It comes as the Israeli military approved "plans for the expansion of the fighting" as it vows to destroy terrorists Hamas.

And they have promised to launch the long-awaited ground invasion "soon", The Times of Israel reports.

Aid trucks rolled into the embattled enclave from its southern border with Egypt on Saturday morning to begin relief efforts.

It is thought 700,000 people have evacuated Gaza in the 15-days since the war broke out.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces exchanged fire in the north of the country, stoking the fires of discontent in Beirut and Lebanon as a whole.

And tensions continue to rise as Israel arrested more than 600 "wanted Palestinians" across the West Bank - and a reported 450 affiliated with Hamas.

And the Israeli Military has reportedly dropped thousands of leaflets informing citizens that they would be "identified as a partner in a terrorist organisation" if they didn't move south in Gaza.

Earlier this morning the only border crossing with Egypt finally opened, as large trucks packed with supplies crossed the border to provide a "lifeline" for the some two million people in Gaza.

It comes as Israel claimed that 700,000 residents of Gaza City and the surrounding areas have fled to the southern regions.

Hamas is known to use the suffering residents of the tiny region as human shields - with more than 4,100 dying since strikes began on Gaza.

Israel is expected to unleash hundreds of thousands of troops and huge columns of tanks in the coming days as they attempt to flush out the terrorist group after they massacred 1,400 civilians on October 7.

But - world leaders, including Rishi Sunak, have warned the situation risks becoming a humanitarian disaster and have urged Israel to show restraint as the crisis worsens.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said today the move could not be a "one-off" event and will continue to push for further humanitarian aide in besieged Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has been bombarded by Israel after its Hamas rulers launched a series of terrorist raids on October 7.

But the Rafah border crossing with Egypt was opened on Saturday morning, providing desperately needed help for the millions of Palestinians running short of food, medicine and water.

Cleverly, who was visiting Egypt on Saturday for the Cairo Peace Summit, said: "Trucks carrying lifesaving aid are beginning to cross at Rafah into Gaza. This aid is a lifeline for those suffering.

"But it cannot be a one-off. The UK continues to push for humanitarian access to Gaza."

Gaza's 2.3 million residents, half of whom have fled their homes, have been forced to ration food and drink filthy water.

Hospitals are running low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators amid a territory-wide power blackout due to air strikes.

In the two weeks of chaos, more than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed and more than 4,100 people have died in Gaza.

Cleverly said he will use the Cairo summit to emphasise the UK's call to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict spiralling into a wider Middle East war.

More than 200 trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tons of materials were waiting nearby the crossing for days before heading into Gaza.

But the ongoing bombing of Gaza has sparked mass protests around the globe, from Australia to America and even in Japan.

Passionate protesters are marching for both Israel and Palestine in cities across the globe.

Upwards of 200,000 protesters are expected to descend upon London today in the largest demonstration to date.

In Berlin, 65 police officers were hurt during a pro-Palestine protest and 174 people were detained.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "Antisemitism has no place in Germany, and we will do everything we can to stand against it. We will do this as citizens, as those who bear political responsibility."

On the Gaza side of the border, hundreds of foreign passport-holders have been trying to leave the besieged territory.

The opening of the Rafah comes hours after Americans Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie were released after being held hostage for two weeks.

A photo released last night showed the moment they were escorted back across the border by troops.

The pair's release comes as tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers wait on the Gaza Strip border after their defence boss vowed they would soon see "inside" as a ground invasion looms.

Israeli defence chief Yoav Gallant told Isareli soldiers: "There is no forgiveness for this thing. Only total annihilation of Hamas organisation, terror infrastructures, everything that has to do with terrorists and whoever sent them.

"It will take a week, it will take a month, it will take two months, until we eliminate them."