Israel's military operation in Gaza expanded early Wednesday, following overnight reports of heavy airstrikes and ground troop movement under intense artillery cover. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the development, saying the campaign aims to dismantle Hamas infrastructure and secure broader buffer zones to protect Israeli forces and nearby communities.
“Operation Strength and Sword in Gaza is expanding,” Katz announced. “Its goal is to crush and cleanse the area of terrorists and terror infrastructure and to seize wide areas that will be annexed to Israel’s security zones.” He called on Gaza residents to “act now to expel Hamas and return all hostages. This is the only way to end the war.”
1פעילות כוחות צה״ל ברצועת עזהפעילות כוחות צה״ל ברצועת עזה
IDF troops in Gaza (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The expansion comes amid widespread evacuations from combat zones. The IDF issued new evacuation directives this week, urging civilians to leave Rafah and several nearby towns. The IDF Arabic spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, said in a statement that the army is "resuming intense combat to eliminate the capabilities of terrorist organizations" in the area and advised residents to move to the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.
Arab media reported overnight Israeli strikes across Rafah, Khan Younis, Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah. Palestinian news agency Shehab said Israeli military vehicles entered central and eastern Rafah under cover of heavy fire. According to the reports, the IDF operation in Rafah has expanded to additional neighborhoods, following last week’s activity in the Shaboura and Tel Sultan areas. Israeli forces were said to be searching for weapons, rocket launchers, tunnels and militants.
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As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, medical sources in Gaza reported 21 fatalities. Al Jazeera reported that one Palestinian was killed and several injured in Rafah, and that a child died in an airstrike on a home in central Khan Younis.
Negotiations for the release of more hostages are ongoing, but major gaps remain. Israel publicly supports the original U.S.-brokered framework, which calls for the return of 11 living hostages and half the bodies of the dead. Hamas is offering to release five hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire—one hostage per 10 days—without returning bodies.