Israeli military operation in Gaza expanding to seize 'large areas': 'Expanding to crush and clean the area'

Israel’s subject violative successful the Gaza Strip is expanding to "crush" the country of Hamas terrorists and prehend "large areas," Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday.

Katz said successful a connection that the subject cognition was "expanding to crush and cleanable the country of terrorists and violent infrastructure and seizing ample areas that volition beryllium added to the information zones of the State of Israel."

Israel's information perimeter, which runs on the borderline with Israel successful bluish and eastbound Gaza, has been utilized for decades arsenic a mode to support its citizens residing adjacent the territory.

It is unclear which areas of Gaza volition beryllium seized successful the expanded operation, which Katz says includes the "extensive evacuation" of radical from areas wherever warring is happening.

ISRAELI FORCES ORDER EVACUATION FOR MOST OF RAFAH AHEAD OF ATTACK ON THE AREA

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel’s subject violative successful the Gaza Strip is expanding to prehend "large areas." (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

The curate called connected Gaza's colonisation to "expel Hamas and instrumentality each hostages." The panic radical inactive has 59 hostages, including 24 who are believed to inactive beryllium alive. Most of the different captives were released successful ceasefire agreements oregon different deals.

"This is the lone mode to extremity the war," Katz said.

The Hostage Families Forum, which represents astir of the hostages’ families, said it was "horrified to aftermath up this greeting to the Defense Minister's announcement astir expanding subject operations successful Gaza."

The Israeli authorities "has an work to escaped each 59 hostages from Hamas captivity — to prosecute each imaginable transmission to beforehand a woody for their release," the radical said, emphasizing that each passing time puts the captives' lives astatine accrued risk.

"Their lives bent successful the equilibrium arsenic much and much disturbing details proceed to look astir the horrific conditions they’re being held successful — chained, abused, and successful hopeless request of aesculapian attention," the radical said.

Displaced Palestinians transportation h2o successful Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP)

"Our highest precedence indispensable beryllium an contiguous woody to bring ALL hostages backmost location — the surviving for rehabilitation and those killed for due burial — and extremity this war," it added.

The forum besides called connected the Trump medication and different mediators to "continue exerting unit connected Hamas for the contiguous merchandise of our loved ones."

"Our highest precedence indispensable beryllium an contiguous woody to bring ALL hostages backmost home—the surviving for rehabilitation and those killed for due burial—and extremity this war," the radical said.

Israel continued to onslaught the Gaza Strip, including with overnight airstrikes that killed 17 radical successful the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, according to infirmary officials.

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Displaced Palestinians transportation their belongings connected the outskirts of Gaza City, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP)

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Officials astatine the Nasser Hospital said the bodies of 12 radical killed successful an overnight airstrike were brought to the hospital, including 5 women — 1 of whom was large — and 2 children. Officials astatine the Gaza European Hospital said 5 bodies of radical killed successful 2 abstracted airstrikes were taken to the hospital.

The warfare began connected Oct. 7, 2023, erstwhile Hamas launched a astonishment onslaught against Israel, sidesplitting astir 1,200 radical and abducting 251 others.

Israel’s retaliatory violative has killed much than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed successful airstrikes since a ceasefire ended astir 2 weeks ago, according to the Hamas-run government's Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate betwixt civilians and terrorists. Israel claims, without offering evidence, that it has killed astir 20,000 terrorists successful the war.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.