Netanyahu announces major offensive in Gaza and evacuation
The Israeli Prime Minister stated that the army will launch a decisive offensive against Hamas, while part of the population will be relocated "for their own safety".
Photo: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CC BY 2.0
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday the start of a new military phase in the Gaza Strip. According to him, the operation will be "intensive" and aimed at the complete defeat of the Hamas group.
He did not specify which areas of the enclave would be occupied by Israeli forces but made it clear that the army does not intend to limit itself to pinpoint raids. "We will not go in, strike, and retreat. We are doing the opposite," he said in a video address posted on the X network.
Netanyahu also said that civilians will be relocated — as he put it, "for their own protection." He did not explain where the people would be placed or who would coordinate the evacuation.
Earlier it was reported that after the collapse of the ceasefire talks, Israel decided to change course — following the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the army is intensifying military pressure on Hamas, pushing diplomacy to the background.
It also became known that in the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers found a living dog that belonged to a hostage who died a year and a half ago — the animal emerged from the rubble, was identified by its microchip, and will soon be returned to the family.