DEIR AL-BALAH: Israel said Wednesday it launched a “limited ground operation” in northern Gaza to retake part of a corridor that bisects the territory, and the country’s defense minister warned that the army plans to step up the attacks that shattered a two-month ceasefire “with an intensity that you have not seen.”
The military said it had retaken part of the Netzarim corridor, which bisects northern Gaza from the south and from where it had withdrawn as part of the ceasefire with Hamas that began in January.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Palestinians in Gaza that the army would again order evacuations from combat zones soon, and that its attacks against Hamas would become more fierce if dozens of hostages held for more than 17 months weren’t freed.
The move appeared to deepen a renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza, which shattered a ceasefire with Hamas.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 436 people, including 183 children and 94 women, have been killed since Israel launched the strikes early Tuesday. It said another 678 people have been wounded.
The military says it only strikes militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas. Gaza’s Health Ministry records do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The military said in a statement that as part of the new offensive, it struck dozens of militants and militant sites on Wednesday, including the command center of a Hamas battalion.
The war in Gaza, which was paused in January by an internationally-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, has been among the deadliest conflicts ever for humanitarian workers, according to the UN.
The resumption of fighting launched by Israel early Tuesday risks plunging the region back into all-out war. It came weeks after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire, during which Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages for prisoners and were set to negotiate an extension to the truce that was meant to bring about an eventual end to the war.
But those negotiations never got off the ground. Hamas has demanded that Israel stick to the terms of the initial ceasefire deal, including a full withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israel, which has vowed to defeat Hamas, has put forward a new proposal that would extend the truce and free more hostages held by Hamas, without a commitment to end the war.
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Israel launches a ground operation to retake part of a key corridor in northern Gaza
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Israel launches a ground operation to retake part of a key corridor in northern Gaza
- Israel used the Netzarim corridor as a military zone which bisected northern Gaza from the south.
Influential Israeli minister Smotrich calls for US-led center for Gaza to be shuttered
- Smotrich also says hostile states should be removed from center
- Calls for ultimatum to Hamas, then full-force assault
JERUSALEM: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to shut a US-led multinational coordinating center that supports President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war.
Washington established the Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) last October as a center for civilian and military personnel from other countries to work alongside US and Israeli officials on post-war Gaza planning.
“The time has come to dismantle the headquarters in Kiryat Gat,” said Smotrich, the influential, far-right cabinet minister, in remarks shared by his office to media, referring to the Israeli city northeast of Gaza where the center is based.
The Israeli prime minister’s office, the US State Department and the US military’s Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the remarks.
Smotrich also said that Britain, Egypt and other countries that are “hostile to Israel and undermine its security” should be removed from the CMCC. The British and Egyptian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Central Command in December said that 60 countries and organizations were represented at the center. The CMCC has also been tasked with facilitating humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
The US-led CMCC was established after Trump announced his 20-point plan to end the war. Germany, France, and Canada are also among countries that have sent personnel there.
Smotrich, speaking at an event marking the establishment of a new Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said that Hamas should be given a “very short” ultimatum to disarm and go into exile, and once that ultimatum expires, the military should storm Gaza with “full force” to destroy the militant group.
“Mr. Prime Minister, it’s either us or them. Either full Israeli control, the destruction of Hamas, and the continued long-term suppression of terrorism, encouragement of the enemy’s emigration outward and permanent Israeli settlement,” he said.
The plan, announced by Trump in September, states that members of Hamas who commit to peaceful coexistence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Those who want to leave Gaza will be given safe passage to other countries.
The White House last week announced that the president’s plan to end the war was moving to the second phase, which would include the demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza.
Under the initial phase of the plan, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza that went into effect in October.
Hamas also released the remaining living hostages abducted from Israel during the October 2023 attack, who had been held in Gaza since then. The remains of all but one deceased hostage have been handed over as well.
Since the ceasefire started, Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Gaza.
Over 460 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.
Washington established the Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) last October as a center for civilian and military personnel from other countries to work alongside US and Israeli officials on post-war Gaza planning.
“The time has come to dismantle the headquarters in Kiryat Gat,” said Smotrich, the influential, far-right cabinet minister, in remarks shared by his office to media, referring to the Israeli city northeast of Gaza where the center is based.
The Israeli prime minister’s office, the US State Department and the US military’s Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the remarks.
Smotrich also said that Britain, Egypt and other countries that are “hostile to Israel and undermine its security” should be removed from the CMCC. The British and Egyptian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Central Command in December said that 60 countries and organizations were represented at the center. The CMCC has also been tasked with facilitating humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
The US-led CMCC was established after Trump announced his 20-point plan to end the war. Germany, France, and Canada are also among countries that have sent personnel there.
Smotrich, speaking at an event marking the establishment of a new Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said that Hamas should be given a “very short” ultimatum to disarm and go into exile, and once that ultimatum expires, the military should storm Gaza with “full force” to destroy the militant group.
“Mr. Prime Minister, it’s either us or them. Either full Israeli control, the destruction of Hamas, and the continued long-term suppression of terrorism, encouragement of the enemy’s emigration outward and permanent Israeli settlement,” he said.
The plan, announced by Trump in September, states that members of Hamas who commit to peaceful coexistence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Those who want to leave Gaza will be given safe passage to other countries.
The White House last week announced that the president’s plan to end the war was moving to the second phase, which would include the demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza.
Under the initial phase of the plan, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza that went into effect in October.
Hamas also released the remaining living hostages abducted from Israel during the October 2023 attack, who had been held in Gaza since then. The remains of all but one deceased hostage have been handed over as well.
Since the ceasefire started, Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Gaza.
Over 460 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.
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