Summary
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced a vigorous expansion of military operations throughout Gaza, following the IDF’s takeover of a security zone between Rafah and Khan Younis and evacuation orders for the latter area. The ongoing offensive aims to pressure Hamas into releasing 59 hostages while displacing hundreds of thousands of Gazans. Since resuming its campaign against Hamas on March 18, over 50,933 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza, with 1,563 fatalities occurring since the military action restarted.