Israel expands operations in central Gaza
The Israeli army is expanding its operations in the city of Deir al-Balah in the centre of the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from an army spokesman, who called on residents to leave the area in a post in Arabic on X on Sunday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue “to operate with intensity to eliminate terrorists and to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area and is expanding its activities into new areas,” the army said in a statement. “For your safety, immediately evacuate southward toward Al-Mawasi.”
Al-Mawasi in the southwest of the embattled area was designated by Israel as a “humanitarian zone” during the Gaza war. However, in the past the Israeli military has also attacked there multiple times. The army said targets included facilities of Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas.
The families of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza responded to the army statement with concern and dismay. “Can anyone promise us that this decision will not lead to the loss of our loved ones?” said a statement from the Hostage Families Forum.
The vast majority of Israelis wish for an end to the war and an agreement that would enable the release of the abductees, it said, adding the families of hostages demanded, “Enough!”
These are the first ground operations in the area since the beginning of the Gaza war, according to The Times of Israel newspaper. The military had not previously been deployed there.
The Israeli army avoids ground operations in areas of the Gaza Strip where it suspects hostages may be being held, in order not to endanger the people abducted from Israel, the report said.
