Israel says expanding its ground operations to whole of Gaza strip

“The IDF is resuming and expanding the ground operation against Hamas’ strongholds across the whole Gaza Strip,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a news conference Sunday.

Hagari also stressed “the importance of air assistance provided by the Air Force to ground forces”, stating airstrikes against headquarters, weapons manufacturing facilities, terror tunnels, and rocket launching sites limit the threats posed against the ground operation.

“Our policy is clear — we will forcefully strike any threat posed against our territory,” he added.

The IDF has also told civilians to leave large swaths of the Gaza Strip, including number of neighborhoods in southern parts of the enclave, after it resumed its military offensive there.

On Saturday, Israel recalled its team of negotiators from Qatar after reaching a “dead end” in talks, according to a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

An agreement between Israel and Hamas was reached with the help of foreign mediation and saw a seven-day pause in fighting, with the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. More aid was also able to flow into the enclave during the truce.

The pause began on November 24 and was renewed twice before ending on Friday morning.

Thus far the Israeli military operation in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 15,500 civilians, according to the local health ministry. The authority has been struggling with counting the exact toll, given the devastation inflicted on the local healthcare system, though it estimates that around 70% of Israel’s victims were women and children.