Israel-Gaza ground offensive: Hamas warned delay to attack has made Israeli troops ‘more lethal’
There was a nervous energy at a dusty staging post for ground troops, waiting for an order to invade Gaza.
Several soldiers, stern-faced and in full combat gear, asked not to be filmed.
Others, however, appeared more relaxed, even smiling as they stood by a line of armoured personnel carriers on a sprawling stretch of flat, sandy fields in southern Israel, weapons slung over one shoulder, some with heavy-looking green rucksacks on their backs.
The overwhelming sense on the ground with an infantry brigade was one of a force preparing for battle rather than a prolonged wait – even as debate swirls at a high political and diplomatic level about potential delays in the next stage of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Lieutenant Colonel Gilad Pasternak, 38, the executive officer for the brigade, said his troops were preparing themselves for action.
“Our brigade is about to manoeuvre wherever needed, through the sectors that we need to go through,” he told Sky News, speaking in English.
Follow live: Eight killed ‘in Israeli strike in Syria’
Lieutenant Colonel Pasternak says the wait has benefitted the soldiers
The 828 infantry brigade is massed near the border with Gaza
The officer did not talk specifically about any delay but said soldiers have been using their waiting time wisely since commanders mobilised the military in the wake of the 7 October Hamas terror attack on Israel.
“Actually the time that has been given us has made us much more prepared, much more efficient, much more lethal towards Hamas if it will be needed to go inside,” he said.
“All the ground forces know exactly what they are about to do and actually this time of wait that the commanders gave us, it actually made us much more prepared.
“When we have the sign, we will be able to go, do whatever we need to do and we have full confidence in our leadership to do so.”
Israel has been saying for days that it is preparing to move to the next phase in its war against Hamas.
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This is expected to involve a significant ground assault into Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, but is also home to more than two million Palestinian civilians.
But there has not been a rush to enter, despite a massive build-up of thousands of Israeli troops, tanks and artillery along the border with the Palestinian enclave.
Instead, allies such as the United States have been offering Israeli leaders words of caution against a hasty ground attack while Hamas still holds more than 200 hostages inside Gaza.
There is also mounting concern at the rising number of dead Palestinians, including children and women, killed in an unprecedented barrage of Israeli airstrikes.
The soldiers are preparing for a dangerous ground invasion of Gaza
Israel says it only hits Hamas targets but knows that the militant group operates within Gaza’s civilian population.
In addition, there is the very real risk that Israel’s conflict with Hamas could ignite a regional war as Iran – an arch-enemy of Israel – seeks to exploit the crisis.
Sky News was allowed to film with soldiers of the 828 infantry brigade, one of Israel’s most effective infantry units, at the staging post on Tuesday afternoon.
We watched as tracked armoured vehicles rolled into different positions, surrounded by groups of troops.
The soldiers said they had no choice but to fight after the terror unleashed by Hamas inside Israel which left more than 1,400 people dead and many more injured.
Lieutenant Colonel Pasternak, who is a full-time officer rather than a reservist, said a goal of the military operation was to free the hostages who were taken that day.
“I am sure that is exactly what is going to happen,” he said.
He is no stranger to fighting in Gaza.
The officer was injured during a previous ground incursion into the territory in 2014 but said he is ready to return.
“I know Gaza is maybe dangerous,” he said. “The infrastructure Hamas has built inside Gaza is terror infrastructure.
“But I know for sure the IDF (Israel Defence Force) is strong, powerful and able to stand by its missions.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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