Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday, the 2nd of April, that the military would expand its operation in Gaza and take “large territories” of the area, incorporating them into so-called security zones, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
The aim of the expanded operation, Katz said, is to “destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure” and will involve large-scale evacuations of Palestinians.
The announcement came after local hospitals reported that at least 15 Palestinians had been killed in the area that night.
There have been reports of extensive Israeli air strikes and shelling along the Egyptian border, and there are growing fears that Gaza is facing the threat of a major new Israeli ground offensive.
THIS WEEK, THE ISRAELI MILITARY ORDERED SOME 140 000 PEOPLE IN RAFAH TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND ISSUED NEW EVACUATION ORDERS IN NORTHERN GAZA.
Israel has already significantly expanded the buffer zone around the edge of the Gaza Strip and taken control of the land corridor running through its centre
Israel launched a new Gaza offensive on the 18th of March, accusing Hamas of rejecting a new US proposal to extend the ceasefire and release 59 hostages still in captivity.
Hamas in turn accused Israel of violating the original agreement they agreed in January.
The Israel-based Forum of Hostages and Missing Families said it was a “terrible awakening” to learn of the expanded military operation. In a statement, the group called on the Israeli government to prioritise the release of all hostages still held in Gaza.
In his statement, Katz also called on the people of Gaza to take action to dismantle Hamas and release the remaining Israeli hostages, but did not specify how they should do so.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks and Israel has refused to allow aid into the Gaza Strip since the 2nd of March, the longest aid blockade since the start of the war.
Last month, the UN announced it would limit its operations in Gaza, a day after Israeli forces killed eight Palestinian medics, six civilian emergency workers and one UN staff member in southern Gaza.
The Israeli military launched the campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on the 7th of October 2023, which killed around 1 200 people and captured 251.
According to the Hamas-led Ministry of Health, more than 50 399 people have been killed in the ensuing war in the Gaza Strip.