Israel intends to 'seize large areas' of Gaza in major escalation of conflict
Israel is expanding its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. The country aims to "seize large areas" of the Palestinian territory, Israeli Defence minister Israel Katz said in a press release on Wednesday.
Israeli forces are currently advancing in several areas of the Gaza Strip, including the southern city of Rafah, Katz said. The far-right minister said that "troops will move to clear areas of terrorists and infrastructure, and will seize large areas that will be added to the State of Israel's security zones".
According to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the escalation is intended to increase pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel's aim is to force them to hand over the remaining hostages, Netanyahu said in a video message on Wednesday.
A group of about 50 freed hostages and their relatives criticised Israel's escalation in an open letter, calling for an end to the fighting and the resumption of negotiations. "The military pressure is endangering the hostages and there is nothing more urgent than the return of all the hostages," they wrote.
Due to Israel ending the ceasefire last month, supplies of vital medicines in Gaza are starting to deplete, the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned on Wednesday. MSF has already started rationing painkillers, giving less effective treatments and turning away patients.
Since the ceasefire ended, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States have continued efforts to restore the truce and free Israeli hostages. These talks have been complicated by Israel's recent escalation, even stoking fears that it intends to keep the territory it has seized after the conflict ends.
© PHOTO SHARON ARONOWICZ / AFP
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