Israel to seize parts of Gaza as military operation expands

On Wednesday, Israel declared a significant escalation of military actions in Gaza, stating that extensive regions of the enclave would be appropriated and incorporated into its security zones, along with extensive population evacuations.

In a statement, Defence Minister Israel Katz mentioned that evacuations would occur from conflict zones, while calling on Gazans to remove Hamas and return Israeli hostages as the sole means to conclude the war.

He stated that the operation would eliminate militants and infrastructure “and capture extensive regions that will be included in the security zones of the State of Israel.” Basem Naim, a high-ranking Hamas official, informed that Israeli hostages could only be freed through discussions, not through military force.

The Israeli military had previously given evacuation alerts to Gazans residing near the southern city of Rafah and in the direction of Khan Younis, instructing them to relocate to the Al-Mawasi area by the coast, which had been established as a humanitarian zone.

The Health Ministry in Gaza reported that Israeli attacks on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of 41 individuals, including 19 people, among them children, who were killed in a strike on a U.N. clinic designated for housing displaced persons.

Palestinian radio stated that the region surrounding Rafah was nearly entirely vacant after the evacuation directives.

At the scene of a strike in Khan Younis, Rida al-Jabbour raised a small shoe and gestured toward a blood-stained wall while recounting how a neighbor was killed with her three-month-old infant.

The Israeli rights organization Gisha reports that Israel has currently seized approximately 62 square kilometers, which represents about 17% of Gaza’s entire area, creating a buffer zone along the periphery of the enclave.