Israel bombards Gaza, prepares invasion as Biden urges path to two states

Israel continued its airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza and prepared for a potential ground invasion, while more Palestinian civilians lost their lives. At the United Nations, efforts to secure plans for delivering crucial humanitarian aid failed.

U.S. President Joe Biden, in a statement looking beyond the conflict that began with a Palestinian Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, expressed the vision of having Israeli and Palestinian states coexist peacefully.

Biden stated, "Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live alongside each other in safety, dignity, and peace." He mentioned his belief that one of the reasons Hamas initiated the attack on southern Israel, resulting in casualties and hostages, was to hinder the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Israeli retaliatory strikes, according to the health ministry in Gaza, have led to the deaths of over 6,500 people. The exact casualty figures could not be independently verified by Reuters. During the same period, more than 7,600 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, and clashes occurred along the northern border.

On Wednesday night, a rocket fired from Gaza struck Rishon Letzion, a city in central Israel, causing injuries from shrapnel and glass, as reported by Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service.

At the United Nations, a U.S.-proposed Security Council resolution calling for ceasefires to facilitate the delivery of essential supplies to Palestinian civilians was vetoed by Russia and China. The United Arab Emirates also voted against it, while 10 members voted in favor and two abstained. Russia's alternative proposal for a broader ceasefire also failed to secure enough votes. Israel resisted both proposals, arguing that Hamas would exploit the situation to create new threats to Gaza civilians.

Food, medicine, and water have been intermittently delivered from Egypt through the Rafah crossing, which is not under Israeli control.

Israel has declared its intent to eliminate Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari emphasized their commitment to continue striking Gaza to achieve their war objectives, strengthening their position for future stages of the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced preparations for a potential ground invasion, but did not provide details regarding timing or scale. Israeli tanks and troops are amassed at the Gaza border, with 360,000 reservists called up.

International pressure is mounting to delay a Gaza invasion, particularly due to concerns about the hostages. Over half of the estimated 220 hostages held by Hamas hold foreign passports from 25 different countries. Many are believed to have dual Israeli nationality.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had agreed to postpone a Gaza invasion temporarily, allowing the United States to deploy missile defenses to the region to protect U.S. forces. The U.S. is concerned that the Gaza conflict may escalate and spread to other parts of the Middle East.

U.S. officials have raised concerns with Israel about the potential for Iranian-backed groups to escalate the conflict by targeting U.S. troops in the Middle East. An Israeli incursion into Gaza could serve as a trigger for Iranian proxies, according to the officials.