Israel aims to press Hamas into releasing hostages and ultimately to destroy the group, but says it will now also allow some aid to enter the enclave.
By Isabel Kershner
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that its forces had begun “extensive ground operations” throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip, advancing its plan to move farther into the enclave and seize more land in an intensified campaign aimed at pressuring Hamas amid negotiations for a cease-fire.
At the same time, the Israeli government said it would allow “a basic quantity of food” to enter Gaza. The announcement comes 11 weeks after it halted the entry of all goods and humanitarian assistance in an attempt to force Hamas into accepting a temporary extension of an earlier cease-fire deal that had expired.
President Trump has been clear about the need to avert a looming famine in Gaza and some Israeli military officials had privately concluded that Palestinians there faced widespread starvation unless aid deliveries were restored soon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office explained the abrupt reversal in Israeli policy as an “operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas,” adding in a statement that the military had recommended the step.
The statement did not say exactly when the resumption of aid would begin, or how or where it would be distributed. Plans for a new American-backed system for distributing aid meant to bypass Hamas have not yet been put into action.
Details about the renewed offensive were also scarce, and it was not immediately clear how far the Israeli forces would go at this stage, or which areas of Gaza would be most affected.
As of Sunday night, troops had not yet reached the center of major cities like Gaza City and Khan Younis as they did at the height of the initial ground offensive in the fall of 2023 and early 2024. There are also fewer forces in Gaza now than there have been at other times, according to experts, though the military said on Sunday that five army divisions were involved in the offensive, amounting to tens of thousands of soldiers.
Israeli government and military officials have vowed to press ahead with this new stage in the 19-month war until Hamas releases the hostages it is still holding or until the group has been destroyed or forced to surrender.
Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza in recent days to prepare the way for the expansion of ground operations, the military said, adding that the wave of strikes had hit what it described as more than 670 “Hamas terror targets.”
شارك برأيك
Amid Cease-Fire Talks, Israel Says It Has Expanded Ground Operations in Gaza