The China Mail - Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'

USD -
AED 3.672995
AFN 71.548685
ALL 89.774885
AMD 390.742248
ANG 1.790208
AOA 916.00041
ARS 1074.379902
AUD 1.595705
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.695264
BAM 1.768195
BBD 2.01763
BDT 121.408553
BGN 1.76809
BHD 0.376983
BIF 2969.894223
BMD 1
BND 1.335232
BOB 6.904439
BRL 5.6329
BSD 0.999277
BTN 85.310551
BWP 13.830576
BYN 3.270138
BYR 19600
BZD 2.007233
CAD 1.409035
CDF 2873.00026
CHF 0.855965
CLF 0.024745
CLP 949.55983
CNY 7.28155
CNH 7.255015
COP 4153.75
CRC 503.480698
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 99.688093
CZK 22.679986
DJF 177.940512
DKK 6.74566
DOP 63.104602
DZD 132.82796
EGP 50.586303
ERN 15
ETB 131.535666
EUR 0.904055
FJD 2.314902
FKP 0.770718
GBP 0.764365
GEL 2.750292
GGP 0.770718
GHS 15.488654
GIP 0.770718
GMD 71.509021
GNF 8647.500226
GTQ 7.712684
GYD 209.058855
HKD 7.777365
HNL 25.566404
HRK 6.8103
HTG 130.756713
HUF 364.720332
IDR 16744.7
ILS 3.702497
IMP 0.770718
INR 85.13835
IQD 1309.013652
IRR 42099.999667
ISK 130.450126
JEP 0.770718
JMD 157.390833
JOD 0.708899
JPY 146.102057
KES 129.160137
KGS 86.711602
KHR 3996.926137
KMF 450.492896
KPW 900.05404
KRW 1441.279882
KWD 0.30766
KYD 0.832746
KZT 500.949281
LAK 21648.13308
LBP 89589.614475
LKR 296.754362
LRD 199.855348
LSL 18.834644
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.832294
MAD 9.503842
MDL 17.846488
MGA 4557.454118
MKD 55.58416
MMK 2099.453956
MNT 3493.458295
MOP 8.006871
MRU 39.710695
MUR 45.370301
MVR 15.401473
MWK 1732.754724
MXN 19.948597
MYR 4.4205
MZN 63.910237
NAD 18.834644
NGN 1535.589933
NIO 36.768827
NOK 10.34931
NPR 136.4967
NZD 1.74303
OMR 0.385038
PAB 0.999277
PEN 3.669288
PGK 4.122593
PHP 56.859789
PKR 280.290751
PLN 3.822697
PYG 8017.358286
QAR 3.642528
RON 4.501304
RSD 105.925995
RUB 84.067797
RWF 1425.910858
SAR 3.751621
SBD 8.316332
SCR 14.301529
SDG 600.498421
SEK 9.785955
SGD 1.334225
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.750135
SLL 20969.501083
SOS 571.105687
SRD 36.549874
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.743332
SYP 13002.701498
SZL 18.841877
THB 34.140285
TJS 10.876865
TMT 3.5
TND 3.05759
TOP 2.342103
TRY 37.955403
TTD 6.775156
TWD 32.942994
TZS 2660.000012
UAH 41.249706
UGX 3641.623723
UYU 42.211373
UZS 12905.704728
VES 70.161515
VND 25805
VUV 123.569394
WST 2.832833
XAF 593.035892
XAG 0.031727
XAU 0.000323
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.737546
XOF 593.035892
XPF 107.820269
YER 245.649423
ZAR 18.771204
ZMK 9001.256834
ZMW 27.754272
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    69.0200

    69.02

    +100%

  • RELX

    0.4600

    51.44

    +0.89%

  • SCS

    -0.7200

    10.74

    -6.7%

  • NGG

    3.6100

    69.39

    +5.2%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0200

    9.78

    -0.2%

  • GSK

    1.3700

    39.01

    +3.51%

  • CMSD

    -0.1600

    22.67

    -0.71%

  • VOD

    0.2500

    9.37

    +2.67%

  • CMSC

    -0.2400

    22.26

    -1.08%

  • AZN

    1.7000

    73.92

    +2.3%

  • RIO

    -1.4700

    58.43

    -2.52%

  • BCC

    -7.4400

    94.63

    -7.86%

  • BCE

    0.8400

    22.66

    +3.71%

  • JRI

    -0.2200

    12.82

    -1.72%

  • BTI

    1.6700

    41.92

    +3.98%

  • BP

    -2.4700

    31.34

    -7.88%

Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'
Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas' / Photo: © AFP/File

Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of a military operation in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, saying the army would seize "large areas" of the Palestinian territory.

Text size:

The defence chief said in a statement that Israel would expand its presence in Gaza to "destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure".

The expanded operation would "seize large areas that will be incorporated into Israeli security zones", he said, without saying how much territory Israel would take.

The announcement comes after he warned last week the Israeli military would soon "operate with full force" in additional parts of Hamas-run Gaza.

In February, Katz announced plans to set up an agency for the "voluntary departure" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

That came after Israel expressed a commitment to a proposal from US President Donald Trump to take over the territory after relocating its 2.4 million Palestinian inhabitants.

Israel resumed intense bombing of Gaza on March 18 and then launched a new ground offensive, ending a nearly two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 15 people, including children, were killed in Israeli air strikes on homes in Khan Yunis and the Nuseirat refugee camp at dawn on Wednesday.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said on Tuesday that 1,042 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed military operations.

- UN condemns Israeli attack -

The idea of forcing Gazans to leave the devastated territory for neighbouring countries, including Egypt and Jordan, was first floated by Trump.

It has since been seized on by right-wing Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to implement it.

On Sunday, the prime minister offered to let Hamas leaders leave Gaza but demanded the group abandon its arms.

Netanyahu has rejected domestic criticism that his government -- one of the most right-wing in Israel's history -- was not doing enough to secure the release of hostages.

"We are negotiating under fire... We can see cracks beginning to appear" in Hamas's positions during ceasefire talks, he told his cabinet.

In the "final stage", Netanyahu said "Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to leave".

Hamas has expressed a willingness to step down from ruling Gaza, but has warned its weapons are a "red line".

Egypt, Qatar and the United States are attempting to again broker a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

A senior Hamas official said on Saturday that the group had approved a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators, and urged Israel to support it.

Netanyahu's office confirmed receipt of the proposal and said Israel had submitted a counterproposal in response.

The details of the latest mediation efforts have not been disclosed.

The United Nations on Tuesday strongly condemned an Israeli army attack on an emergency convoy that killed 15 aid workers and medical personnel, and demanded an investigation.

"I condemn the attack by the Israeli army on a medical and emergency convoy on 23 March resulting in the killing of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.

The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 50,399 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the latest health ministry toll.

K.Leung--ThChM