Israel expanding military operation to capture ‘large areas’ of Gaza Strip
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz has said his country’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize ‘large areas’ of the Palestinian territory. Picture: Leo Correa/AP
Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize “large areas” of the Palestinian territory, the country’s defence minister said on Wednesday.
Israel Katz said in a written statement that Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip is “expanding to crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and capture large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel”.
He called on Gaza residents to “expel Hamas and return all hostages”.
The militant group still holds 59 captives, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since a ceasefire ended about two weeks ago, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.
Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
