Israel says it will expand its attack through most Gaza

The Israeli Defense Minister announced that the army will “expand strongly” throughout Gaza.

Israel Katz also said that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had completed the acquisition of a “security zone” in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and the separation of the cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis.

The Israel Army also issued the evacuation orders of Khan Yunis and the surrounding areas, saying that it was preparing to carry out the strikes in response to the launch of the projectiles from Gaza, which Hamas claimed responsibility.

Israel resumed its attack against Hamas on March 18 after the ceasefire collapsed for two months.

Since then, it has seized large areas of Gaza, which resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Ghazan again.

The army has already seized lands that operate along the borders of the entire Palestinian territories, which it described as a buffer zone to prevent attacks.

Israeli officials said that the ongoing attack aims to pressure Hamas to liberate the remaining 59 hostages in Gaza – 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

On Saturday, Katz said that the Israeli Defense Army had completed the acquisition of the “Morge axis” – referring to a previous Jewish settlement between Rafah and Khan Yunis.

He said: “The Israeli Defense Army has now completed the acquisition of the Maurraj axis, which crosses Gaza between Rafah and Khan Yunis and makes the entire area between the Philadelphia axis and the Maraj part of the Israeli security zone.”

The acquisition of the corridor effectively cuts the southern city of Rafah from Khan Yunis. A rack is approximately five of Gaza.

Katz also warned that “the activity of the Israeli Defense Army will soon expand to additional locations throughout Gaza” and people in these areas will have to “evacuate the fighting areas.”

“This is the last minute to remove Hamas, launch hostages, and end the war,” he said.

He added that the northern Gaza regions, including the city of Beit Hannon and in the Netzarim Corridor – which is cut through the center of Gaza – was also evacuated so that a “security zone” can also be expanded there.

“In the north of Gaza, too – in Beit Hannon and other neighborhoods – the residents are evacuated, the area is seized and the security zone is expanded, including in the Netzarim Corridor,” Katz said.

When approaching the comment, the Israeli Defense Army told the BBC to refer to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Hamas said – in quotes cited by the news agency to Agence France -Presse – the attack not only “kills civilians” but also makes the hostage of the hostages “uncertain.”

The United Nations Human Rights Office warned last month that evacuation orders failed to comply with the requirements of international law, accusing Israel of not taking any measures to provide residency for those affected or ensuring health, health, safety and nutrition.

The government of Israel said that the evacuation of civilians to protect them from harm and use by Hamas “human shields” in a violation of international law.

After the Katz announcement, the Israeli army issued an evacuation of the residents of the southern city of Khan Yunis and its surrounding areas, saying that he was preparing to respond to the projectiles that were launched from Gaza earlier on Saturday.

The Israeli Defense Army said that its air defenses had intercepted three projectiles that were launched from Gaza towards Israeli territory – and the military wing in Hamas later claimed responsibility for the attack. No injuries were reported.

In Gaza, the Hamas -running Ministry of Health said from 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Saturday, 21 people were killed within the past 24 hours and 64 injuries.

The Israeli army launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack across the border on October 7, 2023, where about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken into account.

More than 50,933 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health in the region.

The ministry said that among these, 1563 have been killed since March 18, when Israel has restored its attack in the Gaza Strip.