War in the Middle East - Israeli army expands ground operations to the entire Gaza Strip
A good five weeks after the start of the Israeli ground offensive in the north of the Gaza Strip, the military is extending its ground operations to the entire Palestinian territory. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday evening that the soldiers were taking action against Islamist Hamas targets. Following instructions from the Israeli military, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled from the embattled north of the sealed-off coastal area to the south - where there is now also likely to be increased fighting on the ground.
The army had fought strongly and thoroughly in the northern Gaza Strip and was now doing the same in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel's Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi had said shortly beforehand - without explicitly speaking of a ground offensive. Israeli ground troops have already been deployed in the north since the end of October.
Israeli ground troops in the southern Gaza Strip
Eyewitnesses reported to the German Press Agency on Sunday that Israeli ground troops had advanced into an area east of the city of Chan Junis in the south of the Gaza Strip. The reports could not initially be independently verified.
According to the military, it has also carried out massive airstrikes in the south since the end of the ceasefire on Friday, which lasted several days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had only recently said that a ground operation was the only way to destroy the Islamist Hamas.
War in the Middle East
According to the Hamas health authority, more than 15,500 people have already been killed and thousands injured in the Gaza Strip. The information could not initially be independently verified. According to the UN, around 80 percent of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the densely populated area are now internally displaced persons.
The current Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups near the border on October 7. More than 1200 people were killed in Israel.
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- The ongoing Gaza war, sparked by the deadly attacks in Israel by Hamas and other extremist groups, has led to a significant escalation in conflicts in the Palestinian territories.
- The Israeli military's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has expanded, now encompassing the entire Palestinian territory, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee from the northern to the southern regions.
- In response to Israeli military instructions, a ground offensive is underway in the southern Gaza Strip, with troops advancing in areas like Chan Junis, resulting in increased fighting.
- The Israeli military has been carrying out extensive airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip since the ceasefire's end, as Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated the need for a ground operation to destroy the Islamist Hamas.
- Amidst the war in the Middle East, a floor insert might seem like an insignificant issue, but for some families displaced in the Gaza Strip, it becomes a vital necessity as they seek to rebuild their homes.
Source: www.stern.de
