Israeli army expands ground offensive in southern Gaza

By Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM /ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli army said Saturday that it expanded its ground offensive in the southern Gaza Strip.
A military statement said that army forces pushed into the Jeneina neighborhood of Rafah City to expand what it called a “defensive security zone” in southern Gaza.
The army said that it had struck dozens of targets in the area over the weekend.
On March 19, the Israeli army said that it launched a “pinpoint” ground operation to expand a buffer zone between northern Gaza and the south.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing over 920 people, injuring more than 2,000 others, and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
More than 50,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 114,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.