Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza and issued orders telling residents to evacuate the area Tuesday, signs that the military plans to expand its ground offensive into another section of the besieged territory. Gaza’s main telecom provider, Paltel, announced another “complete interruption” of services.
The opening of a potential new battle zone threatens to bring new destruction and displacement in a war that Israel has said will last for months as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its Oct. 7 attack. Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and in the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge.
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Despite international pressure for a cease-fire and U.S. calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the fight “isn’t close to finished.”
Israel’s offensive has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,900 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, whose count doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. On Tuesday afternoon, it said 240 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.
