Israel announced Wednesday it had converted 30 percent of Gaza into a buffer zone as it pressed its unrelenting military offensive, vowing to maintain its blockade on humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered security chiefs and negotiators to keep pressing for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, where Israel resumed air and ground attacks on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.

The United Nations said an estimated 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the end of the ceasefire, triggering what it has described as the most severe humanitarian crisis the territory has faced since the war started after the Hamas October 7, 2023 attacks.

The Israeli military said that it had "achieved full operational control over several key areas and routes throughout the Gaza Strip".

"Approximately 30 percent of the Gaza Strip's territory is now designated as an Operational Security Perimeter."

It added that Israeli air strikes had hit "approximately 1,200 terror targets" and that "more than 100 targeted eliminations have been carried out" since March 18.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said this........

© Al Monitor