The Israeli defence minister has said his country’s army plans to widen its military campaign with vigour, across the majority of Gaza, the BBC reported on April 12th.
It was on February 20th that Israel previously escalated military operations in the occupied West Bank when three buses exploded near Tel Aviv. Defense Minister Israel Katz instigated the surge in military operations in the West Bank, including the targeting of refugee camps.
On March 18th, Israel restarted its assault on Hamas after a two-month ceasefire broke down. Subsequently, it gained control over extensive areas of Gaza, displacing hundreds of thousands of people from Gaza.
According to NPR on April 14th, Palestinians cannot access over half of the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli presence in the territory, with the military incorporating areas of the territory into so-called security areas along the borders.
The minister, Israel Katz said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “activity will soon expand vigorously to additional locations throughout most of Gaza” and that the people there “will have to evacuate the fighting zones.”
He said that if Hamas rejects Israel’s conditions for a hostage agreement, “Gaza will become smaller and more isolated.”
“This is the last moment to remove Hamas and release the hostages, and bring about an end to the war,” Katz also said.
Katz also said the IDF finished taking over a security zone in the Gaza Strip, demarcating Rafah and Khan Younis. The military issued evacuation orders for Khan Younis and nearby areas. It is also getting ready to conduct strikes in retaliation for projectiles being launched from Gaza.
Hamas said that Israel’s military activity “kills defenceless civilians” and makes the hostages’ fate “uncertain,” according to AFP.
The UN’s human rights office said that the Israeli evacuation orders violate international law. It accused Israel of failing to provide accommodation and decent hygiene standards, as well as the maintenance of health, safety, and nutrition for those affected.
Israel’s government claims it is evacuating civilians to protect them and to stop Hamas from using them as “human shields.”
BBC, NPR
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