After The Air Attack, Israel Again Holds Land Operations In Gaza To Expand The Buffer Zone

IDF troops in the south of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday 19 March (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The Israeli military resumed ground operations in the Gaza Strip, Palestine on Wednesday, after carrying out airstrikes that killed about 400 civilians the day before.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had launched "targeted right" ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strips, which it said were aimed at expanding the buffer zone, quoted from The Times of Israel March 20.

IDF's 52nd Division troops entered the Netzarim Corridor area, seized about half, and Jalan Salahuddin.

At the same time, the IDF said it had deployed the Golani Brigade to the southern part of the Gaza border, preparing for further action in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's airstrikes, which resumed on Wednesday, killed at least 48 Palestinians in Gaza, after a day earlier a similar attack killed more than 400 people, local health workers said.

The Israeli military said "focused" maneuvers aimed at creating partial buffer zones between the north and south of the enclave.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli soldiers distributed leaflets in the northern and southern Gaza Strip, ordering residents to flee their homes again.

Earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed the resumption of the war in the Gaza Strip, and its coverage would be gradually expanded in the coming hours.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told the military to take "hard action" against Hamas in response to the group's refusal to release the remaining hostages and because of their rejection of the ceasefire proposal.

Hamas itself is estimated to still have 59 of the approximately 250 hostages arrested in its offensive on October 7, 2023 in Israel, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire and endangering mediatorial efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire.

Israeli Defense Minister Katz said in a video statement that if the hostages were not released, "Israel will act with violence you have never seen before".

Separately, Palestinian militant group Hamas said ground operations and raids on the Netzarim Corridor were "new and dangerous violations" of the two-month ceasefire agreement.

In a statement, the group reaffirmed its commitment to the deal and asked mediators to "hold their responsibility".

Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which has provided relief to the 2.3 million population of Gaza after 17 months of war devastated the enclave into rubble and forced most of its residents to flee several times.

The latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when a Palestinian militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, killing 1,200 people and holding 250 people hostage, according to Israeli calculations.

The health ministry in Gaza confirmed on Wednesday that Palestinian deaths since the latest conflict broke out had reached 49,547 people, while the number of injured victims reached 112,719 people, as quoted by Anadolu.

Israel's campaign in the Gaza Strip has led to a humanitarian crisis with a shortage of food, fuel, and water.

Israel accuses Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas denied it and accused Israel of bombing indiscriminately.