In a deeply troubling turn of events, the Israeli military has escalated its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, urging Palestinian civilians to head south within the territory where increased aid efforts are promised on Sunday. Calls for de-escalation have multiplied as the conflict intensifies.
Since Friday night, the Israeli military has been operating on the ground with soldiers and armored vehicles, marking what Prime Minister Netanyahu referred to as “a second phase of the war.” Simultaneously, airstrikes have intensified over the 362 km2 territory in retaliation for the unprecedented and bloody attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamist movement in Israel on October 7.
Tragically, since the October 7 attack, 1,400 people on the Israeli side have lost their lives, primarily civilians, including those affected by the October 7 attack, where Hamas also took 230 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Hamas, in power in Gaza since 2007, claims that over 8,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in the relentless Israeli airstrikes since the conflict’s onset.
A significant number of Palestinians tragically lost their lives again on Saturday night in airstrikes on two refugee camps in northern Gaza. Israeli warplanes targeted “450 Hamas objectives” on Saturday, including command centers, according to the Israeli military, confirming that ground operations in the territory were ongoing.
Overnight, a soldier was severely injured by mortar projectiles in northern Gaza, and another was lightly wounded in clashes with Hamas members, the same source stated.
Earlier, the Israeli command had warned residents of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon, bordering Gaza, against missile and rocket attacks. Three people were injured on Saturday following shots fired from Gaza.
Netanyahu declared on Saturday that the war would be “long and difficult,” stating that his military would “destroy the enemy above and below ground,” referring to the network of hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels from which Hamas directs its operations, according to Israel.
The objective of this “second phase of the war” is “clear: to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and leadership; to bring the hostages home,” Netanyahu declared after meeting with the families of the Hamas captives.