What Israel’s Gaza tank raid suggests about likely ground invasion
Israel has staged the “biggest incursion” of the war so far – briefly sending tanks and troops into northern Gaza.
According to the Israeli Defence Forces, the raid is designed to “prepare the battlefield” before a widely expected ground invasion.
But what do such preparations involve – and how significant was this overnight mission?
And why does Israel continue to delay a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza, despite suggesting it has been preparing for one for weeks?
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Testing Hamas’s defences before an invasion
Sky’s military analyst Sean Bell says small-scale incursions are used to test Hamas’s defensive capability – and clear anti-tank defences such as mines and obstructions.
“Hamas had clearly spent some months preparing their offensive on 7 October – and Israel will want to minimise the risk involved with any ground incursion,” he explained.
Mr Bell thinks this probably won’t be the IDF’s last incursion before a larger-scale invasion.
“It is clear that Israel intends to conduct a significantly larger invasion at some stage – so is prepared to take the risks involved in this latest escalation,” he said.
“Israel will also be keen to exploit its military advantage over Hamas, so leveraging its satellite technology and drones – as well as intercepting and jamming communications – is a vital step to ensuring any subsequent ground invasion is conducted as efficiently as possible.”
All of Hamas’s communication systems would have “lit up” during last night’s raid, Mr Bell says – providing Israel with an opportunity to intercept them.
The incursion would also have allowed Israel to bulldozer through anti-tank defences, identify minefields and gather intelligence on what positions Hamas fighters were occupying, he added.
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The recent incursions are unlikely to come as much of a surprise to Hamas, which would have anticipated how Israel might respond.
“Tactically, Hamas will have anti-tank weapons that could inflict significant damage to Israeli armour – and use a combination of mines, rockets, guns and booby-traps to make life as difficult as possible for the IDF,” Mr Bell explained.
He also expects that Hamas will “drip-feed” the release of hostages to distract the international community and increase pressure on Israel to stop military attacks.
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Can Israel destroy Hamas and how would invasion work?
The IDF has been executing devastating air raids on the Gaza Strip for the past two weeks – but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to elaborate on when, or how, a ground invasion will take place.
According to Mr Bell, any offensive would be fraught with difficulty.
“The objective apparently is to destroy Hamas, it’s very difficult to see how you can do that militarily,” Mr Bell cautioned.
“Hamas is more of an idea than an actual army.”
He said Israel may not send troops into Gaza City itself, but its forces may put a “ring of steel” around it.
“Any incursion into the city would involve an urban battle that usually favours the defenders,” the analyst warned.
“Hamas would almost certainly use anti-tank weapons and mines to slow any IDF advance, and could fall back to the relative safety of the urban environment.
“The network of Hamas tunnels under the city – ‘the Gaza Metro’ – provide Hamas with a tactical advantage over the militarily superior IDF.”
With over 200 people still being held hostage by Hamas, Mr Bell went on to warn that a ground invasion would “almost certainly” endanger those being held captive near battlefields.
That’s why the IDF may opt to encircle Gaza City – before using special forces in raids in a bid to recover hostages.
Around 14 million people could die across the world over the next five years because of cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), researchers have warned.
Children under five are expected to make up around a third (4.5 million) of the mortalities, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Estimates showed that “unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030”.
“Beyond causing millions of avoidable deaths – particularly among the most vulnerable – these cuts risk reversing decades of progress in health and socioeconomic development in LMICs [low and middle-income countries],” the report said.
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USAID programmes have prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, around a third of them among children, the study suggests.
The agency’s work has been linked to a 65% fall in deaths from HIV/AIDS, or 25.5 million people.
Eight million deaths from malaria, more than half the total, around 11 million from diarrheal diseases and nearly five million from tuberculosis (TB), have also been prevented.
USAID has been vital in improving global health, “especially in LMICs, particularly African nations,” according to the report.
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Established in 1961, the agency was tasked with providing humanitarian assistance and helping economic growth in developing countries, especially those deemed strategic to Washington.
But the Trump administration has made little secret of its antipathy towards the agency, which became an early victim of cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – formerly led by Elon Musk – in what the US government said was part of a broader plan to remove wasteful spending.
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What is USAID?
In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 80% of USAID schemes had been closed following a six-week review, leaving around 1,000 active.
The US is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, providing around $61bn (£44bn) in foreign assistance last year, according to government data, or at least 38% of the total, and USAID is the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid, the report said.
Between 2017 and 2020, the agency responded to more than 240 natural disasters and crises worldwide – and in 2016 it sent food assistance to more than 53 million people across 47 countries.
The study assessed all-age and all-cause mortality rates in 133 countries and territories, including all those classified as low and middle-income, supported by USAID from 2001 to 2021.
Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended after a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian politician caused outrage.
An ethics investigation into Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under way and she could end up being dismissed.
The country’s constitutional court took up a petition from 36 senators, who claimed dishonesty and a breach of ethical standards, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her.
Protesters gathered in Bangkok at the weekend. Pic: Reuters
The prime minister’s call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, sparked public protests after she tried to appease him and criticised a Thai army commander – a taboo move in a country where the military is extremely influential.
Ms Shinawatra was trying to defuse mounting tensions at the border – which in May resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier.
Thousands of conservative, nationalist protesters held a demo in Bangkok on Saturday to urge her to step down.
Her party is clinging on to power after another group withdrew from their alliance a few weeks ago over the phone call. Calls for a no-confidence vote are likely.
Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over temporarily while the court looks into the case.
The 38-year-old prime minister – Thailand‘s youngest ever leader – has 15 days to respond to the probe. She has apologised and said her approach in the call was a negotiating tactic.
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The popularity of her government has slumped recently, with an opinion poll showing an approval rating of 9.2%, down from 30.9% in March.
Ms Shinawatra comes from a wealthy dynasty synonymous with Thai politics.
Her father Thaksin Shinawatra – a former Manchester City owner – and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister before her – in the early to mid 2000s – and their time in office also ended ignominiously amid corruption charges and military coups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.
The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.
On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Donald Trump during a previous meeting. Pic: Reuters
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.
The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.
She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.
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The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.
An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.
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