The Israel Defense Forces began a new limited ground operation in central Gaza, the military said on Wednesday.
Israeli forces have retaken control of the Netzarim Corridor, which divides the strip in half horizontally.
“During the last 24 hours, IDF forces began a focused ground operation in the central and southern Gaza Strip to expand the security zone and create a partial barrier between the northern and southern parts of the Strip,” the IDF stated, adding that troops “took control and extended their control back to the center of the Netzarim Corridor.”
It’s the first time Israel’s military has resumed ground operations in Gaza since the two sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire in January.
Israeli forces resumed airstrikes in Gaza in recent days, as political leaders decided to restart military operations as negotiations for a long-term solution were at an impasse.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to “act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the resumption of military strikes in Gaza “follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages.”
The IDF subsequently said Essam al-Da’alis, the head of Hamas’s government, was killed, and there’s a “high probability” that Mahmoud Marzouk Ahmed Abu-Watfa, Bahajat Hassan Mohammed Abu-Sultan, and Ahmed Amar Abdullah Alhata, Hamas’s head of internal affairs, head of internal security forces, and minister of justice, respectively, were killed as well.
Netanyahu’s office said the resumption of military operations occurred after Hamas’s continued rejection of a deal proposed by the Trump administration.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry indicated that Israel’s recent strikes killed more than 400 people, but that total does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, and the tally is unverified.
Israel has ordered civilians to evacuate certain areas where forces will presumably resume operations.
“The Air Force attack against Hamas terrorists was just the first step. The continuation will be much harder; you will pay the full price,” Katz said on Wednesday. “Return the hostages and remove Hamas — the alternative is complete destruction and devastation. If all the Israeli hostages are not released and Hamas is not removed from Gaza, Israel will act with forces you have never encountered before.”
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The Trump administration has publicly expressed support for Israel’s resumption of military operations, and the president has demanded Hamas release the remaining hostages or face unspecified consequences.
Hamas is believed to be still holding 59 of the roughly 250 hostages it took on Oct. 7, 2023, and less than half are presumed alive. The families of the remaining hostages have largely criticized the Israeli government’s decision to restart military operations.
