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At least 70 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday.
At least 70 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday. (Image: X/IDF)
Israel on Thursday said that it has extended its ground operations and killed hundreds in a series of airstrikes in Gaza over the past few days. At least 70 Palestinians were killed and several were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, a Gaza health official said.
Israeli strikes targeted several houses in northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip. Nearly half a dozen Hamas leaders were wiped out as Israel targeted key infrastructures, continuing their relentless campaign against the Hamas. In addition to this, the Israeli military has also said that it will no longer allow Palestinians to enter northern Gaza from the south.
The Israeli military on Wednesday said its forces had resumed ground operations in central and southern Gaza, after a ceasefire that had broadly held since January collapsed.
According to Reuters, the renewed ground operations came a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023.
Since Tuesday, airstrikes have killed 510 Palestinians, with more than half of them women and children, the health official informed.
Israeli Military Expands Ground Operations
The Israeli military said its operations extended Israel’s control over the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza, and were a “focused” manoeuvre aimed at creating a partial buffer zone between the north and the south of the enclave. As part of the ground activities, the troops expanded their control further to the center of the Netzarim Corridor.
⭕️ IDF troops began targeted ground activities in central and southern Gaza, over the past day, in order to expand the security zone and to create a partial buffer between northern and southern Gaza. As part of the ground activities, the troops expanded their control further to… pic.twitter.com/TI4068LAJd— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 19, 2025
Meanwhile, Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, called the ground operation and the incursion into the Netzarim Corridor “new and dangerous violation” of the two-month-old ceasefire agreement. In a statement, the group reaffirmed its commitment to the deal and called on mediators to “assume their responsibilities”.
Hamas officials said mediators had stepped up their efforts with the two warring sides but added that “no breakthrough has yet been made.” However, following Israel’s attack, the group has made no clear threats to retaliate.
Palestinians Not Allowed To Enter North Gaza From South: Israeli Military
The Israeli military says it will no longer allow Palestinians to enter northern Gaza from the south, restoring a blockade on the north it maintained for much of the war before January’s ceasefire.
In an announcement Thursday, it warned people against using the territory’s main north-south highway to enter or leave the north and said only passage to the south would be allowed along Gaza’s coastal road.
Israel-Hamas War
The war started after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 and taking more than 250 hostages.
More than 49,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza’s health authorities, with the enclave reduced to rubble.
(With agency inputs)
