Israeli troops raise flag 2 miles into Gaza for the first time in 18 years: video

Israeli troops appear to have advanced more than 2 miles into Gaza, raising the Jewish nation’s flag in the Palestinian territory for the first time in 18 years, according to a new video.

Images of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers waving their country’s flag inside Gaza were published on social media by the Jewish media outlet Israel Hayo on Saturday evening, ahead of Israel’s planned full-out invasion.

“Soldiers of the 52 Battalion of the 401 Brigade are waving the Israeli flag in the heart of Gaza by the beach,” a soldier narrates in the video. “We will not forgive nor forget, and we’ll not stop until the victory.”

It is believed to be the first time the Israeli flag has flown over an area of Gaza since 2005, when Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory were dismantled and evacuated, the Jerusalem Post reports.

The IDF has yet to comment on the video. Hamas has also not released a statement.

Despite the claims that the flag was planted “in the heart of Gaza,” CNN geolocated the video to an area in northern Gaza about 2 miles from the border.

Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi echoed that finding, suggesting the video was taken near the Bianco Resort along the Mediterrainian Sea.

The footage comes as Israel plans a full-scale ground assault to destroy Hamas after the terrorist group killed more than 1,400 people over the border Oct. 7.

Israel announced Friday that it was “expanding ground operations” as it prepares for its invasion, with the IDF paving the way for troops and tanks to enter Gaza.

“We are seeking out anti-tank capabilities, we are destroying observation posts, and we are engaging the terrorists where we find them on the front lines or in the peripheral of the Gaza Strip,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Peter Lerner told ABC News.

“We intend on dismantling their capabilities, destroying their government and making sure they can never use the Gaza Strip as a staging ground against our people again,” he said.

Along with advancements along the northern border, Israel has been ramping up its military presence along the southern border since last week, when photos taken by Reuters on Friday showed several Israeli tanks and other military equipment lining the border with the Gaza Strip.