Israeli military says it has launched first stages of major offensive in Gaza, same day Trump leaves region with no deal

Vocabulary: 381, Words: 955

1The Israeli military says it has launched the first stages of a new major offensive in Gaza, in a development that comes on the same day that US President Donald Trump concluded his visit to the region without securing a ceasefire deal.

2In a statement late Friday, the Israel Defense Forces said it launched “extensive attacks and mobilized forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip, as part of the opening moves of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ and the expansion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve all the goals of the war in Gaza, including the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”

3Related article Israel vows to escalate war with new plan to ‘conquer’ Gaza

6The development comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that the population of Gaza would be displaced to the south following his security cabinet’s approval of an expanded military operation that one minister described as a plan to “conquer” the territory.

7“IDF troops in the Southern Command will continue to operate to protect Israeli citizens and realize the goals of the war,” the military said in its statement.

8Since Thursday, the Israeli military has intensified operations across Gaza, killing more than 100 people, as Netanyahu pledged to continue bombings – even as Trump suggested establishing a “freedom zone” in the enclave.

9Many of the casualties were in Jabalya in northern Gaza and in Khan Younis in the south, according to Gaza Civil Defense.

10Netanyahu has pledged to eradicate Hamas with a strategy that would see the military hold more territory in Gaza and push the entire civilian population into a smaller area in the south.

11The new Israeli offensive comes amid what appear to be growing differences between the US and Israeli governments. 12Trump said last week that he wanted an end to the “brutal war” in Gaza and he did not visit Israel during his tour of the Middle East this week.

13He also bypassed Israel twice this month in reaching bilateral deals with regional militant groups. 14Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage last week, and the Houthis agreed to stop firing at American ships in the Red Sea while pledging to continue fighting Israel.

15On Wednesday, Trump denied that Israel had been sidelined. 16“This is good for Israel,” he said. 17But on Thursday, he said he wanted the US to “take” Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone.”

18“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone,” Trump said in Qatar.

19While in the Gulf, Trump also acknowledged that people are starving in Gaza and said the US would have the situation in Gaza “taken care of.”

20“We’re looking at Gaza. 21And we’re going to get that taken care of. 22A lot of people are starving,” he told reporters in Abu Dhabi.

23Meanwhile, UN agencies are calling for urgent action as the situation for civilians grows increasingly dire.

24Around 436,000 people have been estimated to have been forcibly displaced since March, according to a report from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, when Israel launched a fresh ground campaign as part of its renewed assault on the enclave.

25For nearly 11 weeks, Israel has imposed a complete siege on Gaza, denying entry of food, medical supplies and other aid to the more than 2 million Palestinians who live in the territory.

26Israel says the blockade, along with the military’s expansion of its bombardment of Gaza, is intended to pressure Hamas to release hostages held in the enclave – but international organizations say it violates international law, with many accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.

27Related article A US-backed group says it will deliver aid to Gaza, but humanitarian organizations are skeptical. 28Here’s what we know

32A UN study this week warned one in five people in the Gaza Strip are facing starvation and that the entire population of Gaza is at “high risk” of famine, the most severe type of hunger crisis.

33The US and Israel are backing the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a tightly controlled mechanism for Gaza aid deliveries that seeks to supplant the traditional role of UN agencies in delivering aid to the enclave.

34The foundation’s executive director, Jake Wood, told CNN on Friday that Israel has agreed to allow some food into Gaza before a newly approved mechanism for aid deliveries is up and running later this month, but he did not yet know when or how many aid trucks Israel would allow in.

35The Israeli government has not been swayed by a growing tide of international criticism over the blockade on aid reaching Gaza, now in its third month.

36Netanyahu said earlier this week: “We are destroying more and more homes, they have nowhere to return to. 37The only inevitable outcome will be the desire of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip,” a goal that Trump had supported soon after coming into office.

38The announcement of Israel’s intensifying operations came as the Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the number of people killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza since October 2023 now exceeds 53,000, the majority of whom are women and children.

39Israel launched the war after Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. 40This attack marked the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history.

41This story has been updated with additional information.

from CNN