Israel on Wednesday announced renewed ground operations in Gaza, issuing what it described as a final warning to residents of the territory to return hostages and remove Hamas from power.
According to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, Israel this week carried out the deadliest wave of air strikes since the start of a truce in January, killing hundreds of people.
“Over the past 24 hours, IDF (military) forces have begun targeted ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip to expand the security perimeter and create a partial buffer between the north and south of the Strip.
“Residents of Gaza, this is the last warning. Take the advice of the President of the United States. Return the hostages and remove Hamas, and other options will open up for you—including the possibility of leaving for other places in the world for those who want to,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
Katz was referring to a warning earlier this month by former US President Donald Trump, who said: “To the People of Gaza: A beautiful future awaits, but not if you hold hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!”
Media Talk Africa reports that the war began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 58 are still in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military says are dead.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Wednesday that no fewer than 436 people had been killed since Israel resumed intense strikes on the Palestinian territory.
