Israel Expands Military Operations In Gaza To Seize 'Large Areas'
Jerusalem: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Gatz announced a major expansion of the military operations in Gaza on Wednesday. He said that a large area of the Palestinian territory will be seized and added to the security zones of Israel.
In a written statement, Katz said that the Israeli military would eliminate terrorists and their infrastructure while taking control of significant areas to incorporate them into Israel’s security zones.
However, he didn’t make clear how much areas Israel want to seize.
Katz also urged Gazans to take action against Hamas and secure the release of all hostages, stating that this is the only way to bring an end to the conflict.
Earlier, Israel Military had issued a warning to residents in Southern Rafah to evacuate their homes and move towards the northern region.
At the same time, Israeli leaders have said they plan to facilitate voluntary departure of Palestinians from the enclave, after U.S. President Donald Trump called for it to be permanently evacuated and redeveloped as a coastal resort under U.S. control.
After Israel and Hamas ending their hostilities on January 19 following a ceasefire agreement, Israel announced it was going to restart it’s military operations in Gaza on March 18. It accused of the militant group not respecting the US-backed truce.
The health ministry in Gaza reported that 1,042 people have been killed in the territory since Israel restarted military operations.
Justifying the offensive, Israel Prime minister had earlier said the application of military pressure was the best way to get back the remaining 59 hostages.
The diplomatic efforts led by Qatar and Egypt to return the hostages and make a permanent end to the war have failed to make progress so far.
The war began on October 7,2023 after Hamas attacked Southern Israel killing 1,200 people. The counter attacks by Israel military in Gaza have so far killed more than 50.000 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry and displaced almost the entire population of 2.3 million.
(This story is part of a Timeline internship project)
