JERUSALEM

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday hinted of starting an expected ground operation in the Gaza Strip soon as he visited troops on the border.

"You see Gaza now from a distance, you will soon see it from inside. The orders will come," Gallant told the soldiers.

Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met soldiers near Gaza, and said that "we are going to win with full force.”

Israel has bombed Gaza since the Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas, and has put the entire enclave under a blockade, leaving 2.3 million residents with little food, water, fuel and medical supplies.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala