The 'Second Phase' of Israel's War in Gaza Has Begun.

The expansion of Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip raises the risk of regional escalation from Iran and its proxy forces, while amplifying the threat of violence in the West Bank and sporadic attacks in Israel. On the evening of Oct. 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip had entered a ''second phase,'' simultaneously calling it Israel's ''second war of independence'' and telling Israelis that the ground war would be ''long and difficult.'' Since then, ground troops from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) — backed by tanks, artillery and airstrikes — have entered the northern part of the strip. Although the IDF has not commented on the number of troops or their precise locations, photos and videos circulating on social media on Oct. 30 show them on the outskirts of Gaza City, the largest city in the territory, where they appear to have engaged in heavy combat. Shortly after Netanyahu's statement, the account of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) stating that Israel's actions had ''crossed red lines, which may force everyone to take action.''