The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had relaunched a ground offensive in Gaza following renewed airstrikes on the enclave a day prior, breaking a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began “targeted ground activities” in central and southern Gaza, partially retaking a key area in the territory known as the Netzarim Corridor. The strip of land separates the northern and southern parts of Gaza.
“As part of the ground activities, the troops expanded their control further to the center of the Netzarim Corridor,” the IDF said in a statement.
The operation follows Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza early on Tuesday, which shattered the fragile ceasefire in place since January and killed more than 400 Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
In its justification for its airstrikes and military ground campaign, Israel has accused Hamas of refusing to release hostages it has held since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the country.
Hamas, meanwhile, blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for breaking the truce and putting the hostages “at risk of an unknown fate.”
The bloodshed comes after Israel had withdrawn from the Netzarim Corridor, a move that was part of January’s ceasefire deal and allowed displaced Palestinians to return to homes that had been destroyed by earlier Israeli bombardment.
This week’s surprise attacks have enraged critics of Israel’s war in Gaza and left the families of hostages urging a return to negotiations.
There are 59 hostages still in Gaza, although the Israeli military believes only two dozen of them to be alive. Among them is American Israeli Edan Alexander, who was serving in the Israeli military at the time of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
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