THIS is the moment Israel launches fresh airstrikes in a major operation dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots”.
Israel’s military said it had begun “extensive strikes” in the Gaza Strip aimed at defeating Hamas and taking control of the territory.
Shocking aerial footage shows Israel launching the attacks, with gargantuan explosions shown.
Fire can first be seen erupting in the air, followed by massive plumes of black smoke.
The IDF said on X that it had mobilised troops for “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” to seize “strategic areas” of the Strip.
Gideon’s Chariots, named after the biblical warrior, represent the IDF’s strategy to capture and secure areas, relocate civilians southwards, and launch attacks on Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.
The IDF announced that the “initial stages” of the new offensive aimed at “expanding the battle in the Gaza Strip” have commenced, with the goal of fulfilling all war objectives.
These include “the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas,” Israel’s army said on Telegram.
Civil defence and health ministry officials run by Hamas say Israeli attacks have killed around 250 Palestinian people since Thursday.
Within a day, the IDF reported it had “targeted over 150 terror sites across the Gaza Strip” and emphasized their mission will continue “until Hamas is no longer a threat and all our hostages return safely”.
An aid blockade on the Strip has been imposed by Israel since March after a two-month ceasefire broke down between the country and the group.
Israel says its decision to cut off aid to Gaza was to force concessions from Hamas, which still holds dozens of Israeli hostages seized during October 7.
US President Trump spoke out on Friday, saying that “a lot of people are starving” in Gaza.
“We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of,” the Republican told reporters in Abu Dhabi, on a regional tour that excluded key ally Israel.
And US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was “troubled” by the situation.
Despite growing pressure internationally for Israel to resume ceasefire talks with Hamas and end the blockade, the country has continued its airstrikes on the Strip and bolstered armoured forces along the border.
The stepped-up campaign came as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to worsen amid an Israeli aid blockade.
One of the territory’s last functioning hospitals has warned it was no longer able to treat seriously wounded patients due to shortages of supplies and a nearby attack that damaged the site.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday denounced the renewed attacks and what he described as an apparent push to permanently displace Gaza’s Palestinian inhabitants as being “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.
He said: “This latest barrage of bombs, forcing people to move amid the threat of intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods, and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that Israel was preparing an “intense entry into Gaza” to take control of the territory.
Hamas released 38 hostages under the ceasefire that began on January 19.
Israel now holds around a third of the land in the Gaza strip and is looking at taking control of its entirety.
Hamas released the last known American hostage on Monday.
Edan Alexander, 21, an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in the US, was abducted from his base during the October 7 terror attack.
Footage shows the moment Edan’s family run up to the released soldier, hugging and kissing him.
What happened on October 7?
On October 7 2023, militants of Hamas and other Palestinian nationalist groups launched co-ordinated armed attacks in the Gaza Envelope of southern Israel.
The perpetrators had managed to bypass Israeli defences to para-glide across the border, in what became the first invasion of the territory since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The horror coincided with the Jewish celebration of Simchat Torah, and initiated the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
A barrage of around 4,300 rockets were launched on Israel from the Gaza Strip in the early hours of October 7 before vehicles and powered paragliders crossed the border.
The Hamas fighters attacked military bases and massacred civilians in 21 communities, including Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, Netiv Haasara, and Alumim.
The first civilian attack started at 6.29am at the Nova Music Festival site at Re’im, just three miles from Gaza.
More than 360 revellers were cut down as they desperately tried to flee.
Across October 7, an estimated 1,139 people were massacred and another 250 civilians and soldiers were taken hostage into Gaza.
