Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip is escalating with the aim of capturing “significant territories,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
The expansion of the operation came as hospital officials on the Palestinian side said more than 40 people, including about ten children, had been killed in Israeli attacks.
Israel's offensive in Palestinian territory “is expanding with the aim of suppressing and clearing the area” of militants and “conquering significant territories that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel,” Mr. Katz said in a written statement.
The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its fence and has expanded it significantly since the war began in 2023.
Israel says the buffer zone is necessary to ensure its security, while the Palestinians see it as a land grab that further shrinks the narrow coastal area home to some two million people.
Mr. Katz did not specify which specific areas of Gaza would be captured in the expanded operation, which he said would include a “broad evacuation” of local populations from combat zones.
His comments came after Israel ordered a complete evacuation of the southern city of Rafah and surrounding areas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel plans to maintain open but undefined security control in the Gaza Strip after achieving its goal of destroying Hamas.
The minister called on Gazans to “expel Hamas and return all hostages.”
Militants continue to hold 59 hostages, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.
“This is the only way to stop the war,” Mr. Katz said.
Since the ceasefire collapsed last month, when Israel ordered people to move and expanded its areas of operation, “no-go” zones in Gaza now cover more than 60 percent of its territory, according to Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Humanitarian organizations are providing aid as much as possible as supplies have been reduced by Israel's month-long blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The “no-go” zones include a military zone in the corridor
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
