London – Israel’s renewed military operation in the Gaza Strip “is expanding to crush and clean the terrorist and terrorist infrastructure area and take large areas that will be attached to the security areas of the state of Israel,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a statement on Wednesday.
The minister said that a “large -scale evacuation of the Gazán population of the combat areas” is accompanying the expanded military campaign in the strip.
“I call Gaza residents to act now to eliminate Hamas and return all the kidnapped,” Katz added. “This is the only way to end the war.”
Israel renewed its assault on neighbor Gaza in March after a pause of almost two months, during which Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, according to Associated Press.
Israel demands the immediate release of all the remaining hostages, consisting of 59 people, 24 of which are still believed to be alive, which were taken back to Gaza during the surprise attack led by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike in a house in Khan Youis in southern Gaza Strip on April 1, 2025.
Hatem Khaled/Reuters
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement that he ordered renewed strikes after Hamas rejected Israeli demands to release half of the remaining hostages as a previous condition to extend the high fire, the first phase of which he expired on March 1. The bombing resumed with “full strength,” he said on March 18, adding that additional negotiations “will continue only under fire.” “.”
Israel’s renewed operations in Gaza caused the conviction of regional powers, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the resumption was “completely coordinated with Washington.”
Israeli leaders have constantly expressed their intention to completely destroy Hamas and eliminate the Palestinian militant group of power in Gaza. Israel intends to retain security control over the territory as part of any postwar settlement, Netanyahu, Katz and other senior officials said.
Katz last month also announced the creation of a new direction within the Israeli Ministry of Defense to facilitate “voluntary emigration”. The work of the leadership is aligned with the suggestion of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, that the Palestinians are resettled outside Gaza, Katz said in February.
The Palestinian, the United Nations and Human Rights organizations have suggested that the US-Israeli resettlement policy is similar to “ethnic cleaning.” Israel has denied such accusations.
Gaza has been devastated by the war caused by the terrorist attack of October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed in Israel, according to the Israeli government.
The subsequent operations of Israel in Gaza have killed more than 50,300 people and wounded more than 114,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, directed by Hamas. More than 1,000 people have been killed since the resumption of Israeli attacks on March 18, the ministry said.
Morgan Winsor de ABC News contributed to this report
