Netanyahu says war has entered second phase as troops prepare for ‘long and difficult’ battle

NBC News reporters near the border saw and heard airstrikes, rockets and artillery fire pounding the enclave in what the IDF said was a sustained bombing of 150 targets through the night. Though Israel says it is only targeting Hamas positions, its assault on this crowded, tiny piece of land has killed more than 7,700 people, including thousands of children.

Israel expanded its ground offensive, the Israel Defense Forces said, with tanks and other units crossing the border, some of them staying in the strip for the first time since the current conflict began.

‘It could very well be months’ 

Troops on the ground in southern Israel told NBC News they were prepared for the possibility of a monthslong fight, saying Friday’s incursion was just the beginning of expanded ground operations.

“What we did yesterday is only a very, very small step in what needs to be done,” said Lt. Col. (Res.) Mikey Hartman, who is based near the Gaza border. 

Hartman, a former sniper for the IDF who returned to join the fight after retiring and moving to Florida, said he believed Hamas was caught “off guard” by Israeli forces’ incursion Friday night. 

“We’re not trying to work from a playbook that they can read the same book,” he said. “I don’t think they were ready for us yesterday.”

He said troops were prepared to be on the ground for as long as it takes. “I don’t know if it’s going to be months, but it could very well be months.” 

Staff Sgt. Ben Hardin, a reservist also stationed near the border, said the feeling among troops was that Israel’s operations in Gaza “won’t be over quickly” and “will take time.”  

Netanyahu’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, who is a part of Israel’s emergency unity government, also spoke at the news conference, warning Israelis to brace for a lengthy and challenging war.

‘Bring them back’

As they were speaking, a square in central Tel Aviv was packed with demonstrators demanding the safe return of more than 220 hostages taken by Hamas. Many were demanding a cease-fire, and criticized the government for pursuing the eradication of Hamas over the safe return of their loved ones. 

The peaceful crowd chanted through a megaphone for at least 20, nonstop minutes, imploring Netanyahu to imagine that it was his children who had been taken. The very mention of the prime minister’s name elicited boos from the protesters before an argument broke out after a man said the rally was not the appropriate venue for political debate.