The Israeli military announced on Thursday that its forces now hold 40% of Gaza City, the largest urban stronghold in the Palestinian territory, as operations intensify against Hamas.
“Today we hold 40 percent of the territory of Gaza City. The operation will continue to expand and intensify in the coming days,” Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a video statement cited by AFP. He added that Israel would keep increasing pressure on Hamas “until it is defeated.”
The latest push follows Defence Minister Israel Katz’s approval last month of a comprehensive plan to seize Gaza City. Around 60,000 reservists were also mobilized to back the effort, according to the Defence Ministry.
Codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots B,” the campaign builds on an earlier phase of the same operation, during which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed control of 75% of Gaza’s territory. Officials said the strategy was designed to tighten pressure on Hamas and force progress on a hostage deal.
Hamas, however, condemned the renewed offensive, accusing Israel of showing “blatant disregard” for ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations. The group blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally, calling him “the real obstacle to any agreement” and accusing him of putting Israeli hostages’ lives at risk.
Israel has maintained that no deal will be accepted unless it guarantees the release of all hostages.
The announcement comes as international mediators push harder to broker a truce. Hamas has already signaled support for a proposal that would include a 60-day ceasefire, a phased exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza. A senior Israeli official, however, reiterated that the government’s position remains unchanged: all hostages must be freed immediately.
The war, now nearing its second year, erupted after Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel in October 2023, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose data is considered credible by the United Nations.
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