Israel to expand military operation and seize 'large areas' of Gaza

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the military will expand its operation in Gaza and seize "large areas" of the territory.

In a statement on Wednesday, Katz said the expanded operation aimed to "destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure". Seized areas would be "incorporated into Israeli security zones", he said.

He said this would require a large-scale evacuation of Palestinians and urged the population to eliminate Hamas and return Israeli hostages. This, he said, was the only way to end the war.

The Israeli military is reported to have begun ground operations in Rafah overnight.

The announcement follows his warning last week that the military would soon operate with "full force" in additional parts of Gaza.

Israel launched its renewed Gaza offensive on 18 March, blaming Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal to extend the ceasefire and free the 59 hostages still held captive in Gaza.

Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of violating the original deal they had agreed to in January.

The humanitarian situation across Gaza has dramatically worsened in recent weeks, with Israel refusing to allow aid into the Gaza Strip since 2 March - the longest aid blockage since the war began.

Last month the UN announced it was reducing its operations in Gaza, one day after eight Palestinian medics, six Civil Defence first responders and a UN staff member were killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

More than 50,399 people have been killed in Gaza during the ensuing war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.