Israel Expands Military Operation in Gaza
02nd Apr 2025
From left, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz speak during a news conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023.(Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday a major expansion of a military operation in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, stating that the army would seize “large areas” of the Palestinian territory. In a statement, he said Israel would expand its presence to “destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.” He added that these seized areas would be incorporated into Israeli security zones but did not specify how much territory would be taken.
The announcement follows Katz’s warning last week that the military would soon “operate with full force” in additional parts of Gaza. Israel resumed intense bombing of Gaza on March 18 before launching a new ground offensive, effectively ending a nearly two-month ceasefire in its war with Hamas.
The conflict was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has so far killed at least 50,357 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.
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