Israel follows up airstrikes on Gaza with ground operation

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it started a series of ground operations in central and southern Gaza “over the past day” to create a buffer zone between the north and the south of the war-torn Palestinian territory.

It comes amid a massive wave of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that started early on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday, shattering a fragile ceasefire in place since January.

Part of the ground operation includes expanding the army’s control further to the centre of the coastal area in what is known as the Netzarim Corridor, a strategically important corridor. The idea is to expand the security zone, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on its Telegram channel.

“The IDF will continue to operate against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” it posted.

In February, the IDF withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, with the exception of a 1-kilometre-wide area directly on the border with Israel.

This allowed Palestinians who had been displaced by the war from northern cities to the south to return to their homes in large numbers. The impact of the IDF’s expanded control on the corridor on Gaza’s inhabitants was initially unclear.

The military decided to station a brigade in its southern command area. The unit will “remain ready for operations in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said.

Israel blamed the renewed hostilities on Palestinian Islamist Hamas’ refusal to release more hostages amid deadlocked negotiations on extending the ceasefire.

On Wednesday, at least 14 people were killed, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Two people died in a drone strike in al-Mawasi, a crowded tent camp designated as humanitarian zone, it said. Several civilians, including a woman and a child, were also reportedly killed in the city of Khan Younis area in southern Gaza.

The IDF said it targeted a Hamas military site in northern Gaza overnight, where preparations were reportedly under way for rocket attacks on Israeli territory.

The Israeli Navy also struck several boats off the Gaza coast, which it said were used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for terrorist operations.

WAFA also reported “dozens of dead and injured” in an IDF attack on Gaza City. An IDF spokesman said on request that the military had carried out “a precise attack on a Hamas terrorist.” The information provided by both sides could not initially be independently verified.

WAFA also reported a suspected attack by Israel on a UN facility in Deir al-Balah in the central part of the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least one death.

But the IDF denied this. “Contrary to reports, the Israeli army did not attack a UN building in Deir al-Balah,” it said. The media are being urged to exercise caution with regard to unconfirmed reports, it said.

On Tuesday, the Hamas-run health authority reported more than 400 killed and hundreds injured. The authority does not distinguish between civilian and military casualties and the figures cannot be independently verified.

The resumption of Israeli airstrikes comes two months after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal that included the release of hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip having since stalled.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced a resumption of fighting against Hamas, saying further negotiations “will only be conducted under fire.”