IDF spokesman says military has ‘not ruled out’ ground operation

The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson says the military has not ruled out a ground operation, saying it seemed likely that the fighting could go on for a number of days.

“We have a foot on the gas [pedal],” IDF spokesman Hidai Zilberman tells Army Radio.

Zilberman says it is unclear how long the fighting would last, but a matter of “days” seemed a likely estimate.

He says IDF strikes in Gaza so far have been “significant.”

“Hamas,” he says, “is the only address in Gaza.”

Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman. (Israel Defense Forces)

The army already has a plan for operations to continue until Wednesday morning and after that will assess the situation, he says.

Asked if a ground operation could happen, Zilberman says the military has “not ruled out anything” and notes that “alert notifications have been sent to those who need to get them” possibly indicating that the IDF is calling up reservists.