**JERUSALEM**
The Israeli army launched a ground operation Thursday in the northern and southern Gaza Strip amid a renewed assault on the Palestinian enclave.
The army claimed that its forces and the Shin Bet domestic security forces struck Hamas infrastructure in Beit Lahia before the start of the ground offensive.
Later, the Israeli army said in a statement that "in recent hours, our forces have initiated a ground operation in the Shaboura neighborhood in Rafah, destroying several infrastructure targets," without clarifying the objective of the ground incursion in Rafah.
"The army has expanded its military activities in the southern Gaza Strip, while continuing operations in the north and central parts of the Strip," it added.
On Wednesday, the army said it started a “pinpoint” ground operation in central and southern Gaza to expand a buffer zone in central Gaza.
And Thursday, the army banned Palestinians from traveling through Salah al-Din Street, a route designated for safe passage between northern Gaza and the south.
More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 900 injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught in Gaza since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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