Israeli Forces Expand Operations in Gaza as Senior Hamas Leaders Flee South
In response to reports that senior Hamas leaders have fled to the south of the Gaza Strip, Israel has announced its intentions to expand operations in order to catch them. This news comes following a report in the “Financial Times” last night.
The British newspaper also revealed that Israel’s central allies in Europe have recently warned against a significant expansion of the ground maneuver from the northern surface of the Strip towards its center and south. The current operation is focused on Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, prompting approximately one million Palestinian citizens to move from this area towards the southern areas of the Gaza Strip.
In recent days, Israel has reportedly distributed thousands of leaflets calling on the residents of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes in preparation for military activity in the area. This has raised concerns among senior officials in Europe, who fear that expanding the attack to southern Gaza will lead to widespread destruction.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has refrained from giving Israel a timetable for ending the campaign, stating that it will continue until Hamas can no longer harm Israel. The UN Security Council has called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the fighting, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is opposed, announcing that operations will continue until Hamas and the hostages are eliminated. The IDF claims to have found a hostage’s body and a weapon near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Since the beginning of the operation, over 11 thousand Palestinians have been killed and the hospitals in Gaza have collapsed. There is fear of many casualties if the fighting expands to the crowded south. As a result, Israel is facing increasing international pressure for a ceasefire.