Defense Minister Katz said the “Operation Gideon Chariot” was headed by “Great Force”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate the pressure to destroy the militant group that ruled Gaza for nearly two decades.
The military operation comes the day after U.S. President Donald Trump ended his trip to the Middle East without visiting Israel. People hope Trump’s travel will increase the chances of a ceasefire agreement or restore humanitarian aid to Gaza, an opportunity Israel has prevented for more than two months.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas have not yet made progress in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Hamas released Israeli-Americans as a gesture of goodwill before Trump’s trip, insisting on a deal to end the war and causing the evacuation of Israeli forces – Israel disagrees.
Israel’s military said on social media that it is intensifying the attack and putting “tremendous pressure” on Hamas across Gaza until the hostages return and the armed group is demolished. Tel Aviv believes that despite Israeli authorities’ concerns about three of the statuses, 23 of Gaza’s hostages remain.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 150 people have been killed during the Israeli strike in the past 24 hours. It said more than 3,000 people have been killed since Israel broke the January ceasefire on March 18.Refugee camp attack
An Israeli strike killed at least four children in a northern Jabbaria refugee camp on Saturday afternoon, according to the Al-Awda Hospital, which received the body. Seven other people on the strike were injured and attacked the house. The hospital said four people were later killed in a strike in Jabaliya.
Air strikes around Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza killed 14 people and the bodies arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital. A house strike killed eight people, including parents and four children.
There was no immediate comment on the strike. Another statement said the military killed dozens of combatants while on an “underground route” in northern Gaza.
Three months of lockdown
Gaza is in its third month of Israel’s lockdown, with no food, water, fuel or other goods entering the territory of 2 million people. Food security experts say Gaza will fall into famine without a lockdown.
Earlier this week, a new humanitarian organization asked us to support taking over aid delivery, saying it hopes to start operations by the end of this month in a key agreement with Israeli officials. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has identified several U.S. veterans, former humanitarian coordinators and safety contractors to lead the effort.
