Israel deploys nine additional brigades into Gaza as ground offensive expands
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has deployed nine additional infantry and armored brigades into the Gaza Strip within the last 24 hours, signaling a further escalation in its ground offensive across the enclave, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported Friday, citing unnamed military sources.
The reinforcements are part of an expanded military operation approved earlier this month under what Israeli officials have termed the 'Chariots of Gideon' plan, a long-term campaign involving sustained ground combat and wide-scale displacement of Gaza's civilian population.
According to KAN, the army's operations are currently focused on two main areas: northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis.
The military has warned residents in those areas to evacuate ahead of intensified aerial bombardments, though reports from humanitarian groups and residents indicate many displaced civilians continue to face attacks during their movement and in supposed safe zones.
The Israeli army previously deployed Divisions 252, 143, and 36 to Gaza. In the last week, it added Divisions 98 and 162, with the latest deployment further bolstering ground forces already operating in the Strip. No official figures have been released regarding the number of troops involved.
On May 4, Israel's Security Cabinet gave formal approval to expand the military campaign.
The government subsequently began mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists and launched a coordinated ground assault on May 18 from multiple directions.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Friday that more than 172,000 people in Gaza have been newly displaced in the past week alone, adding to the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Israel has stated that its forces are working to evacuate civilians from designated combat zones, though aid agencies have warned of ongoing strikes on displaced populations.
Since the start of the conflict in October 2023, more than 53,900 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities. The majority of those killed are reported to be women and children.
Israel continues to face mounting international scrutiny over its military campaign. In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Additionally, proceedings continue at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel is the subject of a genocide case brought forward by South Africa.
The Israeli government has rejected international ceasefire calls and maintains that its operations are aimed at neutralizing threats from militant groups operating within Gaza. — Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leaders
an hour ago
- Leaders
Israel's Strike on Iran 'Could Very Well Happen': Trump
The US President, Donald Trump, on Thursday said that Israel's attack on Iran looks very close, although he favors a deal with Tehran if it compromises, reported AFP. Israeli Attack Asked about Israel's potential attack on Iran, Trump replied: 'I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen.' The US President also said that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was considering a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which he said could spark a 'massive conflict.' He urged Israel not to attack Iran, as Washington and Tehran are edging closer to a new nuclear deal. 'We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement,' he said. 'I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it,' he added. Nuclear Deal Close Trump said he prefers negotiations with Iran to avoid conflict. However, he added that Tehran has to cede more ground in its negotiations with Washington to avoid conflict. 'I'd love to avoid the conflict. Iran's going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher – meaning they're going to have to give us some things that they're not willing to give us right now,' he told reporters. IAEA Resolution Trump's remarks came after the IAEA's Board of Governors announced that Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years. In response, Iran called the resolution 'political' and announced countermeasures, including establishing a third enrichment facility in a 'secure location,' and upgrading its centrifuges for advanced ones at Fordo, which will significantly boost Iran's production of enriched materials. Pulling US Personnel Amid escalating tensions, the US arranged the departure of non-essential personnel from locations around the Middle East, citing heightened security risks in the region. Moreover, the US Embassy in Israel issued a security alert instructing American government employees and their families to remain in the Tel Aviv area over security concerns. Trump said that Washington was pulling American personnel out of the region because 'it could be a dangerous place,' stressing that he would not allow Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon. Short link : Post Views: 1
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump says Israel should not strike Iran as nuclear deal ‘close'
US President Donald Trump called Thursday on ally Israel not to strike Iran's nuclear sites, saying a deal remained close if Tehran compromises. Trump acknowledged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering a strike, which he said could spark a 'massive conflict' – leading to a US decision to draw down embassy staff in the region. 'We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement,' Trump told reporters. Asked about his discussions with Netanyahu, Trump said: 'I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it.' Trump quickly added: 'Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.' Trump's Middle East pointman Steve Witkoff is set to hold a sixth round of talks on Sunday in Oman with Iran, which defiantly said it would raise levels of uranium enrichment – the key sticking point in talks. Trump again described himself as a man of peace and said he would prefer a negotiated settlement with Iran. 'I'd love to avoid the conflict. Iran's going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher – meaning they're going to have to give us some things that they're not willing to give us right now,' he said. On whether Israel could attack Iran, Trump said: 'I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen.'
Saudi Gazette
8 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Thousands head to Egypt in bid to break Israel's Gaza blockade
CAIRO — Thousands of activists from around the world are expected to descend on Egypt on Thursday for a 'Global March to Gaza,' a movement aiming to break the Israeli blockade that has pushed the territory to the brink of famine. Some 4,000 volunteers from over 80 countries will join the protest, according to organizers. They will land in Cairo, take buses to the city of Arish in northern Sinai, and then march around 30 miles through the desert peninsula to the Egyptian side of the Gaza border at Rafah. Organizers told CNN the activists will sleep in tents along the route and are expected to arrive at the border on Friday but do not plan to enter the war-ravaged enclave. The march puts Egypt in an awkward position as it tries to balance its ties with Israel and the United States against its public condemnation of the war's brutal toll on Gaza's civilians. A key mediator with direct channels to both Hamas and Israel, Cairo has been wary of the conflict spilling over into its territory. It has kept its side of the Rafah crossing closed to Palestinians, even as anger at Israel's actions continues to rise at home. In a statement Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he expects the Egyptian government 'to prevent the arrival of jihadist demonstrators to the border of Egypt-Israel and not to allow them to carry out provocations and to try to enter into Gaza.' This will 'endanger the security of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers and we will not allow it,' Katz added. The international activists will be joined by another convoy of 2,000 protesters arriving from Tunisia. That group arrived in Libya, which neighbors Egypt, on Wednesday, organizers said. Among those joining the march are Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, a former South African lawmaker and grandson of Nelson Mandela, and Hala Rharrit, a former US State Department diplomat who resigned from her US government position during the Biden administration over Washington's handling of the Gaza war. 'This is just another tool, another way (for) the people to raise their voices, to let governments know that we are not happy,' Uzma Usmani, the sponsorship and logistics lead for the UK delegation of the march, told CNN. 'We need to take things into our own hands, to raise awareness, to put pressure on all the different governments so that they start taking action,' she said. As Israel's war in Gaza enters its 21st month, high-profile international campaigners are becoming increasingly active in their attempt to break the siege. On Monday, Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship, the 'Madleen,' detaining its passengers and taking them to Israel. Among the activists on board was Swedish climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg and French member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan. Thunberg departed Israel on Tuesday and Hassan remains in Israeli detention. Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade of Gaza on March 2, cutting off food, medical supplies and other aid to the more than 2 million Palestinians in the territory for 11 weeks. Faced with growing international pressure, it began allowing a trickle of aid in late May. But humanitarian organizations say it is only a fraction of the aid that entered the enclave before the war. Organizers of the Global March to Gaza have said that they have reached out to Egyptian authorities, informing them of their plans and asking for cooperation and protection but have received no response. The Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement that activists must obtain permits ahead of their arrival in Cairo. 'Egypt stresses the importance of adhering to these established regulatory measures to ensure the safety of visiting delegations due to the sensitive security conditions in this border area since the onset of the crisis in Gaza,' the ministry said, adding that 'no requests or invitations will be considered or responded to if submitted outside the framework specified by the regulatory provisions.' Organizers said they followed 'all the required protocols detailed in this statement.' They told CNN on Wednesday that some activists have experienced harassment and been detained upon arriving in the Egyptian capital, saying they fear deportation. On Thursday, organizers said 170 people are currently facing delays and deportations at Cairo airport, but that thousands of participants are already in Egypt and are determined to continue their march. CNN has reached out to the Egyptian foreign media press center and the foreign ministry for comment on those allegations. Rharrit, the former State Department official, told CNN: 'Children are starving to death, and at this point, the only thing I feel I can do is action.' 'Now is no longer the time for talk only. We need action, and we saw that with the ('Madleen') flotilla,' she told CNN's Becky Anderson this week. 'This is humanity saying no more, let the food in.' Egyptian authorities 'have no reason not to support this march,' Rharrit said, adding that delegations across the world had informed Egyptian embassies of their plan well ahead of time. 'There have been meetings with Egyptian ambassadors. Egyptian authorities have not said no,' she said, adding that the march is 'in line with everything Egypt has been trying to do diplomatically.' — CNN
