The Israeli army said today it has launched a “limited ground operation“ to retake part of a key corridor in the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported.
The move appears to expand Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza, which has violated a ceasefire with “Hamas“ that went into effect in January.
As part of the ceasefire, Israel withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor, which divides the Gaza Strip in two.
Israel will soon begin calling on Palestinians to evacuate from combat zones in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today, quoted by the AP. The minister said that if the hostages held by “Hamas“ in Gaza are not released, “Israel will act with unprecedented intensity“.
Katz's statement came a day after Israel violated a truce with “Hamas“ by carrying out a wave of massive strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 400 Palestinians, almost two-thirds of them women and children, the Ministry of Health in the Palestinian territory controlled by “Hamas“ said.
The head of the ministry's records department, Zaher al-Wahidi, said that yesterday was the deadliest day in Gaza since the start of the war. The strikes continued today, but with less intensity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that yesterday's strikes were “just the beginning“ and that Israel would press ahead until it achieved all of its military goals - destroying “Hamas“ and releasing all hostages held by the armed group after the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.