Israel expands ground assault in Gaza, seeks to capture ‘extensive territory’
Israeli media report that the military is expanding its ground operations in Gaza, including in southern Rafah.
Defence Minister Israel Katz says troops will move to clear areas “of terrorists and infrastructure, and capture extensive territory that will be added [to] the State of Israel’s security areas”, according to The Times of Israel.
Katz confirmed that the operation is now under way in Rafah, the Israeli Army Radio reported. The announcement comes after the military ordered residents of Rafah as well as northern Beit Hanoon and Beit Lahiya to flee.
Israel calls on besieged Gaza people to ‘remove Hamas’
Israel’s defence chief says the military’s expanded assault on Gaza “will increase pressure on Hamas”.
“Expanding the operation this morning will increase the pressure on the Hamas murderers and also on the population in Gaza and advance the achievement of the sacred and important goal for all of us,” Israel Katz said in a post on X.
“I call on the residents of Gaza to act now to remove Hamas and return all the hostages. This is the only way to end the war.”
Earlier, Katz said the Israeli military is expanding its ground assault on Gaza with plans to “capture extensive territory”, which will be added to the so-called buffer zone in the Strip.
So Katz is calling for a civil war while making sure nobody can rise up by starving, bombing and continually displacing the population. Just more evidence Israel is not planning to stop until nothing and no one is left in Gaza.
