Israel has launched a "limited ground operation" to retake part of the key Netzarim corridor, a strip of land established by the IDF that runs from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean Sea and divides Gaza in two. The Israeli army had previously withdrawn from the Netzarim corridor, which it had established under a temporary ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the army planned to step up attacks and end a two-month ceasefire "with an intensity you've never seen before". In a statement, Katz also said: "The air force attack against the Hamas terrorists was only the first step. The rest will be much more difficult and you will pay the full price."
Israel withdrew from the corridor earlier in January under a temporary ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Katz also warned that the Israeli military would soon order evacuations from Gaza's combat zones and intensify attacks on Hamas if the hostages, who have been held in Gaza since 2023, are not released.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday's strikes were "only the beginning" and that Israel would continue until it had achieved all its war aims.
As Israel continued its air strikes in Gaza on Wednesday, the UN confirmed the death of one of its staff members and the wounding of five others in an attack on a UN guesthouse in Gaza.
Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services, did not specify who was behind the attack, but confirmed that the explosive ordnance was dropped or detonated deliberately. The Israeli army, which has been carrying out a heavy wave of airstrikes across Gaza since Tuesday morning, denied earlier reports that it had targeted a UN facility.
However, Moreira da Silva said the Israeli military was informed of the location of the facility after the first strike near the complex and confirmed on Monday that it was aware that it was a UN facility where people live and work. It did not specify the nationality of the victims.
After Wednesday's strike, the injured were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where one man was transferred on a blanket and another was treated for a knee injury.
- Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 19, 2025
No rocket fire or other attacks by Palestinian militants have been reported since Tuesday's fragile ceasefire was broken, and Israeli bombardment slowed on Wednesday.
According to Gaza's health ministry, 436 people have been killed since early Tuesday, including 183 children and 94 women, and at least 678 people have been injured. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
The Israeli army says it is only hitting militant targets and blames Hamas for the civilian death toll, arguing that it is operating in densely populated areas.
According to the United Nations, the conflict between Israel and Hamas is one of the deadliest in history for its workers.
Israel said it struck militant sites on Wednesday, including a Hamas battalion command center. Israel remains focused on defeating Hamas, while Hamas is demanding a complete withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war, which Israel has rejected, instead proposing a new agreement to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages.
euronews/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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