Since the failure to extend the truce last week, Israel has expanded its offensive on the Gaza Strip, sparking concern from the international community. On Monday, dozens of Israeli tanks, personnel carriers and bulldozers entered the southern part of the Palestinian enclave, near the town of Khan Younis, several witnesses told AFP.
Amine Abu Hola, 59, said the Israeli military vehicles had now entered "a depth of two kilometers" into the village of al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis. "The tanks are now on the Salaheddine road," which runs along the Gaza Strip from north to south, said Moaz Mohammed, 34.
Ground operation 'expanding against Hamas'
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Monday that it was not seeking to force Palestinians to leave for Egypt, while acknowledging their "difficult" situation in the besieged Gaza Strip. "We're not trying to evacuate people there," spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters on Monday. "We have asked civilians to evacuate the battlefield and designated a specific humanitarian zone inside the Gaza Strip," he said, referring to the coastal area of Al-Mawasi.
On Sunday night, the army, which initially entered northern Gaza, announced that it was "expanding its ground operation against Hamas throughout the country." This is despite pressure from the United States, Israel's historic ally, which has called on Tel Aviv to protect the hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in the south of the enclave. "The army operates wherever Hamas has strongholds," army spokesman Daniel Hagari said. Israeli forces said they had carried out "approximately 10,000 airstrikes" on the Gaza Strip since October 7, the date of the historic Hamas attack.