Egypt Daily News – Israel has intensified its strikes on Gaza since Saturday, Israeli planes bombed scattered areas in the Gaza Strip early on Monday, with the participation of the air force, naval boats, tanks, and artillery stationed along the border strip from the east of Rafah in the south of Gaza to the west of Beit Lahiya in the north of the Strip, according to sources.
For its part, the Civil Defense in Gaza announced early on that Israel had launched intense airstrikes targeting tents for displaced people and residential houses in the south, center, and north of the Strip, which resulted in the death of 11 Palestinians. Medical sources said that 160 Palestinians were killed from Saturday to Sunday due to Israeli bombardment on Gaza.
Start of “Wide Ground Operation”
This comes as the Israeli military announced on Sunday the start of a “wide ground operation” in Gaza.
In a statement, the military said its forces “began a wide ground operation in the north and south of Gaza as part of the opening of Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” which is the name given to the recent attack in the Strip. The Israeli military had announced on Saturday that it was expanding its strikes on Gaza despite international calls for a ceasefire and warnings regarding the humanitarian situation in the region.
Talks in Doha
On the other hand, mediators from Egypt and Qatar, with support from the United States, began a new round of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas on Saturday in Doha.
Sources from both Israel and Hamas indicated that the new round of indirect talks in Doha had made little progress. Israeli estimates suggest that about 24 Israeli detainees are still alive inside Gaza, and Tel Aviv hopes to secure the release of 10 of them in the first phase of any agreement.
It is worth mentioning that Israeli military operations in the Strip resumed on March 18 after a temporary halt under a ceasefire agreement mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, amid stalled negotiations over the next phase of the agreement.
