The Israeli military escalated its offensive in Gaza, expanding ground operations in the northern part of the region. This followed the issuing of evacuation orders to Palestinians, adding to the hardship already experienced due to the ongoing war.
Dozens of Palestinians, including children, were reportedly killed in Israeli strikes on a school serving as a shelter. Israel claims the strikes targeted Hamas militants in a command center.
A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended in March, after which Israel launched a major bombing campaign. A key goal stated by Israeli officials is securing the release of hostages held by Hamas. Hamas issued a statement warning of the danger to the lives of the remaining hostages in areas targeted by Israel.
Hamas's military wing stated that some Israeli and foreign hostages are held in designated evacuation zones under strict security measures. This statement comes as a warning, reflecting similar threats made in the past during periods of heightened bombardment.
The Israeli military pressed deeper into northern Gaza by ground on Friday after issuing a series of evacuation orders calling on Palestinians to flee, part of its escalating offensive against Hamas in the war-battered Gaza Strip.
The expansion of ground operations came after the Palestinian health authorities said on Thursday that dozens of people, including children, were killed in Israeli strikes on a school turned shelter in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City. On Friday, the Israeli military said the strikes were targeting well-known militants in a Hamas command and control center, without naming them.
The evacuation orders have brought renewed hardship to Palestinians who had already endured displacement from their homes and miserable conditions during the first 15 months of the war. A shaky two-month cease-fire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March after the two sides failed to reach an agreement to extend it, ending a brief respite for Palestinians in Gaza.
The Israeli military has since embarked on a major bombing campaign and seized territory in Gaza in a tactic that Israeli officials have said was intended to compel Hamas to release more hostages.
As the Israeli military operation expanded, Hamas’s military wing on Friday appeared to threaten the remaining Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza. In a statement that did not mention the plight of its own people, Hamas said its fighters were holding some captives in the evacuation zones under “strict security measures that are extremely dangerous to their lives.”
The armed group has in the past threatened the well-being of hostages in the face of Israeli bombardments.
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