ISRAEL has initiated a large-scale military offensive in Gaza following a series of airstrikes that killed over 200 people.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the operation as part of an intensified campaign aimed at seizing strategic areas to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
In a statement Friday evening, the IDF revealed that the offensive, named Operation Gideon’s Chariots, was targeted at occupying key territories in Gaza as a means to fulfil the broader objectives of the war.
The IDF said it “launched extensive attacks and mobilised forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip, as part of the opening moves of Operation Gideon’s Chariots and the expansion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve all the goals of the war in Gaza”.
The ICIR reports that Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 250 people since Thursday morning, according to local health authorities. This marks one of the deadliest rounds of bombardment since a truce broke down in March, with a new ground offensive anticipated soon.
However, while justifying the attack, the IDF stated that it carried out airstrikes on over 150 ‘terror targets’ in the Gaza Strip over the past day.
The Israeli forces stated that the strikes targeted anti-tank missile launch sites, operational cells, and buildings used by militant groups to coordinate attacks on forces.
During the ground operations, the IDF reported that the 252nd Division neutralised several operatives positioned at an observation post in northern Gaza.
It noted that the Gaza Division eliminated several tunnel shafts, destroyed related infrastructure, and killed operatives in Rafah.
It added that the 36th Division dismantled more Hamas infrastructure and killed militants attempting to plant a bomb in the Morag Corridor area.
Reports, however, suggested that many civilians were casualties of the airstrikes by the IDF.
The announcement followed Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East, during which he acknowledged the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The US president, while addressing reporters in Abu Dhabi on Friday, said, “We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving.”
Backstory
The ICIR reported that a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended in March, shortly after Israel reinstated a full blockade on Gaza, which aid agencies said had caused severe food shortages.
On March 2, Israel halted aid to Gaza, a move it described as a strategy to pressure Hamas, which continues to hold dozens of Israeli hostages captured in October 2023.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel was preparing for an expanded and intensified offensive against Hamas, following his security cabinet’s approval of plans that could include taking full control of the Gaza Strip and overseeing the distribution of aid.
Hamas insisted on Thursday that the resumption of humanitarian aid to the war-torn territory was “the minimum requirement” for any negotiations to proceed.
Israel has stated that its objective in Gaza was to eliminate Hamas, the group responsible for attacking Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
Gaza’s health ministry reported that 2,876 people have been killed since Israel resumed airstrikes on March 18, bringing the total death toll from the war to 53,010.
The military stated that its operations were ongoing, and that in the past 24 hours, it had “targeted over 150 terror sites across the Gaza Strip, including anti-tank missile launchers, militant groups, military facilities, and operational centres.
The United Nations estimates that 70 per cent of Gaza is currently either designated as a no-go zone by Israel or under an evacuation order.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M