In a preview of the Israeli ground assault on the Gaza Strip, the theater of the Israel-Hamas war, a column of tanks and infantry launched an overnight raid into Gaza, striking "numerous" targets before retreating to home soil.

The military announced the incursion into the north of the Palestinian territory hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that preparations for a ground war were underway.  

The Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, described the operation as a "targeted raid" that hit "numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts."

Pressure on UN chief 

Meanwhile, the United Nations faced greater global pressure yesterday following Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' unwarranted description of Hamas' 7 October assault on Israel as not occurring "in a vacuum."

In a speech on Wednesday, the UN chief pointed to "56 years of suffocating occupation" endured by the Palestinians.

UN agency World Health Organization, or WHO, exposed a crack in the global body as it issued a separate statement directed at Hamas, calling for the release of the more than 200 hostages it holds.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was pressing ahead with plans for a ground war in Gaza to uproot the extremist Hamas. 

"We are in the midst of a campaign for our existence," Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address, insisting that Israel will decide how the war is prosecuted.

Throngs of Hamas gunmen poured from Gaza into Israel last 7 October, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 222 more, according to official tallies.

'Get hostages out first'

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he had privately suggested Israel should get the hostages out, if possible, before any ground invasion. 

"It's their decision, but I did not demand it," said Biden, as he called on the US Congress to allocate more money for Israeli defense.

Netanyahu said Israel would be "raining down hellfire on Hamas" and kill "thousands of terrorists." 

He said the military would determine the timing of a "ground offensive" to "eliminate Hamas" and "bring our captives home."

"I will not detail when, how, or how many," he said. The war has sparked fears of a regional conflagration if it draws in more of Israel's enemies.

Since 7 October, Israel has launched thousands of reprisal strikes in Gaza but has also hit targets in Lebanon and Syria. 

Proof of life

WHO, in a break with Guterres' position, called for Hamas to provide proof of life for the hostages it is holding and to release them all on health grounds.

The WHO said the International Committee of the Red Cross should be allowed immediate medical access to ascertain the hostages' health status while it stands ready to provide the ICRC with any health support required for the hostages.

The WHO said it was "gravely concerned" for the health of the hostages, who include health workers and up to 30 children.

"There is an urgent need for the captors of the hostages to provide signs of life, proof of provision of health care and the immediate release, on humanitarian and health grounds, of all those abducted," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

Tedros held talks on Wednesday with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli non-government organization representing families of those abducted.

The WHO chief said he "heard first-hand the tragedy, trauma, and suffering they are facing."

"Many of the hostages, including children, women, and the elderly, have pre-existing health conditions requiring urgent and sustained care and treatment. The mental health trauma that the abducted and the families are facing is acute, and psychosocial support is of great importance," he said.

Tedros had alleged in an address "clear violations" of international law as Israel pounded Gaza in response to the 7 October assault by Hamas and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.      With Jom Garner and AFP