Israel Katz, Israeli Defence Minister, said that the Israeli army would intensify air, sea, and land strikes in Gaza, to press Hamas to release the remaining hostages. The civilians will also be evacuated to the southern part of the enclave.
Gazans fled for their lives again after two months of relative peace. Israel had effectively abandoned the ceasefire and launched a full-scale air and ground offensive against Gaza’s dominant militant Palestinian group Hamas.
Katz stated that the more Hamas refuses to release remaining Israeli hostages the more land Israel will gain.
He said that the military would intensify air, land, and sea strikes and expand ground operations to free the hostages and defeat Hamas.
After talks failed to resolve differences on the terms of extending the ceasefire, Israel’s military launched a massive bombardment campaign in Gaza on Tuesday and then sent troops into the area the next day.
The first day of airstrikes resumed on Tuesday killing over 400 Palestinians. It was one of the bloodiest days in the 17-month war.