Israel expanding military operation to capture ‘large areas’ of Gaza Strip

Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize “large areas” of the Palestinian territory, the country’s defence minister said on Wednesday.

Israel Katz said in a written statement that Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip is “expanding to crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and capture large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel”.

He called on Gaza residents to “expel Hamas and return all hostages”.

Captives

The militant group still holds 59 captives, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Mr Katz did not specify which areas of Gaza would be seized in the expanded operation, which includes the “extensive evacuation” of the population from fighting areas.

“This is the only way to end the war,” Mr Katz said.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since a ceasefire ended about two weeks ago.

Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.