Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize “large areas,” the defense minister said Wednesday.
Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory was “expanding to crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and seizing large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a written statement.
Israel’s security perimeter, which runs along the border with Israel in northern and eastern Gaza, has been a crucial part of the country’s defense for decades, used as a way to protect its citizens living near the territory.
Katz called on Gaza residents to “expel Hamas and return all hostages.” The militant group still holds 59 captives, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
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United Nations calls Israeli claim that Gaza has food for a long time ‘ridiculous’
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations is “at the tail end of our supplies,” forcing the U.N. World Food Program to close all 25 of its bakeries in Gaza because of a lack of flour and cooking fuel.
“WFP doesn’t close its bakeries for fun,” Dujarric said.
He said the food situation remains “very critical” since Israel closed all crossings into Gaza a month ago, cutting off all humanitarian deliveries.
COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said Tuesday that nearly 450,000 tons of aid entered Gaza during the ceasefire. COGAT claimed at least some of the aid from the U.N. and its humanitarian partners was being diverted to Hamas.
Responding to that, Dujarric said, “The U.N. has kept a chain of custody, and a very good chain of custody, on all the aid.”
