The Israeli army has stepped up its offensive in the Gaza Strip, sending a new wave of strikes and troops onto the ground as part of an overall plan to establish control over areas within the territory that have been targeted.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday announced the beginning of a new phase in its military campaign, code-named Operation Gideon's Chariots. The operation seeks to expand the areas of combat actions and move forward with key goals, including the destruction of Hamas and the rescue of hostages.
"IDF forces will continue to act in an effort to safeguard Israeli civilians as well as reach the war's goals," the army declared.
On Tuesday this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israeli troops would invade Gaza "with full force" in the near future, according to Xinhua News Agency.
In the aftermath of the most recent offensive, Gaza health officials said a minimum of 109 were reported dead and another 216 injured in the northern zones of the enclave on Friday alone. The escalation comes after Israel renewed military action on March 18, following a temporary lull in hostilities. Since then, Gaza's health officials report 2,985 Palestinians killed and 8,173 wounded, bringing the total toll since the war began in October 2023 to 53,119 killed and 120,214 wounded.
On Thursday, Hamas blamed Israel for sabotaging ceasefire talks, claiming that the Israeli government was seeking "an endless war."
"Israel is answering attempts at mediation with military pressure on civilians, mass bombing, and further agony for the Palestinian people in a last attempt to impose its will under fire," Hamas stated.
The war opened on October 7, 2023, when Hamas made simultaneous attacks by land, sea, and air from the Gaza Strip that killed more than 1,200 persons—largely Israeli civilians—and took more than 240 hostages. Israel officially declared war the next day for the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
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