Israel initiates fresh military campaign in Gaza

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The announcement comes after days of intensive strikes across Gaza that killed hundreds of people.

JERUSALEM, Israel — Israel has initiated a significant military campaign in the Gaza Strip to compel Hamas to release the remaining hostages, according to the defense minister on Saturday. This follows a series of intense strikes across the area that have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Operation Gideon Chariots was being led with “great force” by Israel’s army.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pledged earlier in the week to increase pressure on Hamas. His goal is to dismantle the militant group that has controlled Gaza for almost 20 years.

This operation takes place as U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up his regional tour without making a stop in Israel. Many had hoped that Trump’s visit would enhance the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement or resuming humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has blocked for over two months.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas have yet to achieve progress in Qatar’s capital, Doha. Hamas, which released an Israeli-American hostage as a goodwill gesture ahead of Trump’s Mideast trip, insists on a deal that eventually ends the three-year war — something Israel said it won’t agree to.

More than 150 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It said almost 3,000 have been killed since Israel broke a January ceasefire on March 18.

Of the hostages who remain in Gaza, Israel believes as many as 23 are still alive, although Israeli authorities have expressed concern for the status of three of those.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.