Israel's Gaza operation to intensify with territorial gains and strikes on Hamas infrastructure

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has announced an expanded military operation in Gaza, targeting Hamas infrastructure. The operation will involve large-scale evacuations and the incorporation of seized territories into Israeli security zones. Over 50,000 deaths reported in Gaza.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that Israel’s military would escalate its operations in Gaza, aiming to seize "large areas" of the territory.

Katz stated that the expanded operation’s primary goal is to "destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure." He also mentioned that these seized areas would be incorporated into Israeli security zones, marking a significant intensification of Israel’s military activities in Gaza.

The operation, according to Katz, will require the large-scale evacuation of Palestinians from the affected zones. He urged the Palestinian population to take action against Hamas and demand the return of Israeli hostages. Katz stated that such actions were the only viable path to ending the ongoing conflict, underscoring the Israeli government’s stance on the necessity of dismantling Hamas to ensure peace.

The announcement of the military’s plans follows Katz's warning from the previous week that Israel would soon operate with "full force" in additional parts of Gaza, says a report in BBC. The renewed offensive, which Israel launched on March 18, came after Hamas rejected a new U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefire and release the 59 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. In response, Hamas accused Israel of breaching the deal reached in January.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has deepened dramatically in recent weeks, exacerbated by Israel's refusal to allow aid into the region since March 2, marking the longest humanitarian blockade since the war began. The United Nations announced it was scaling back its operations in Gaza last month, following the deaths of eight Palestinian medics, six Civil Defence responders, and a UN staff member, killed by Israeli forces.

The ongoing conflict began after the unprecedented cross-border attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 hostages. As of now, the Hamas-run health ministry reports over 50,399 deaths in Gaza since the conflict escalated.