Israel has announced the launch of "extensive strikes" in Gaza over the past day, the Israeli military said Saturday, as part of the "initial stages" of a campaign to expand its war objectives and to force Hamas to release hostages. At least ten people have been killed in Saturday's strikes so far, according to rescuers in Gaza.
TheIsraelimilitary said Saturday it had launched "extensive strikes" in theGaza Stripover the past day as part of the "initial stages" ofa fresh offensiveon the besieged Palestinian territory.
The strikes were part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war's objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat ofHamas", Israel's army said in a statement in Arabic on Telegram.
Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 10 bodies had been brought to Gaza hospitals after Saturday's strikes began.
Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-monthtrucein its war against Hamas, which was triggered by an attack by the Palestinian group in October 2023.
The latest operation, known as "Operation Gideon's Chariots", comes as Israel faces pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade in return for a US-Israeli hostage released by Hamas.NGOs have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
Watch moreUS-backed aid group to start work in Gaza by end of May under heavily criticised plan
The return to fighting since March 18 has drawn international condemnation, with the UN's rights chief on Friday denouncing the renewed attacks and what he described as an apparent push to permanently displace the population.
'Ethnic cleansing'
"This latest barrage of bombs... and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and istantamount to ethnic cleansing," Volker Turk said in a statement.
The main Israeli campaign group representing the families of hostages said that by extending the fighting, Netanyahu was missing a "historic opportunity" to get their loved ones out through diplomacy.
Hamas on Friday demanded theUnited Statespress Israel to lift the aid blockade in return for a US-Israeli hostage released by the group.
Edan Alexander, the last living hostage with US nationality,was freed last weekafter direct engagement with the Trump administration that left Israel sidelined.
Read moreHamas releases Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander
As part of the understanding with Washington regarding Alexander's release, senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group was "awaiting and expecting the US administration to exert further pressure" on Israel "to open the crossings and allow the immediate entry of humanitarian aid".
Israel says its decision to cut off aid to Gaza was intended to force concessions from Hamas, which still holds dozens of Israeli hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.
'People are starving'
US PresidentDonald Trumpacknowledged on Friday that "a lot of people are starving" in the besieged Palestinian territory.
"We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of," Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi, on a regional tour that excluded key ally Israel.
TheArab Leagueis to meet in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss regional crises, with Gaza expected to be high on the agenda.
United Nations chiefAntonio Guterreswill attend the summit, and Spanish Prime MinisterPedro Sanchezwho has sharply criticised Israel's offensive in Gaza is expected to address it as a guest.
The Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said 2,985 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,119.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Originally published on France24
