The Israeli Army reported this Thursday that tanks and soldiers entered the Gaza Strip this Wednesday night and carried out a "selective operation" in preparation for a ground incursion into this Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas. The Army said in a statement that, before leaving the enclave again, it carried out "a selective tank operation in the northern Gaza Strip, as part of preparations for the next phases of combat." Israeli forces "located and attacked numerous terrorists, terror infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch sites, and prepared the battlefield," the statement continued, which also indicated that "soldiers left the area at the end of the activity." "he added, as reported by the AFP news agency. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted this Wednesday night that, along with the intense bombings against Gaza launched for more than two weeks, they are preparing "a ground offensive." A day earlier, the Israeli Army had said that this ground offensive was delayed for tactical reasons. On October 7, Hamas fighters entered Israel from Gaza, where they killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took 222 hostages. Among the Israeli dead are more than 300 soldiers. More than 6,500 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombings in Gaza, including 2,704 children.