Israel's Gaza invasion delayed until 'after Joe Biden visit': Report

Israel's invasion of Gaza has been delayed until after the visit of US president Joe Biden, a report claimed. The expected ground assault has been postponed to an "unknown date" but is expected to take place once the US president has left the country, Telegraph reported quoting Israel's news site Walla.

The report claimed that the delay had caused frustration among some military commanders, who believe it will give Hamas more time to prepare. This comes as Israel's military said that it is still developing plans for its ground operation in the Gaza strip, which will be presented to the country's political leadership.

Lt Col Richard Hecht, a spokesman for the IDF, said, "It's something different. We have to break off from the old Gaza tit-for-tat. Its going to look different, it is going to take longer, and it's going to look totally different. These plans are being developed, they'll be decided by and presented to our political leadership."

US president Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced. He is also expected to meet authorities in Jordan and Egypt as Palestinians described intense bombardments near two towns in southern Gaza, where Israel had ordered civilians to seek refuge.

Hamas' military wing said a separate attack on a refugee camp in central Gaza killed a top Hamas commander as thousands of people are trying to escape Gaza from the Rafah border crossing.

Aid workers warned that life in Gaza was near complete collapse because of the Israeli siege that followed a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 which has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Gaza health ministry said that 2,778 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. Another 1,200 people across Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel.