Israel announces ground offensive across Gaza, stern warning to Hamas

Israeli military vehicles near the Gaza border (Photo: AFP).

"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed and expanded its ground offensive against Hamas centers throughout the Gaza Strip. Our forces are in close combat with the enemy," Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on December 3.

Mr. Hagari particularly emphasized the importance of the Israeli Air Force providing air support to ground forces. In addition to ground attacks, Israel also carried out airstrikes on Hamas command posts, weapons factories, tunnels, and rocket launch sites in the Gaza Strip.

One of the airstrikes eliminated the commander of Hamas’ Shati battalion, who was believed to have directed Hamas’ raids into Israeli territory on October 7.

Meanwhile, naval forces also targeted Hamas vessels offshore.

"Our policy is very clear, we will strike fiercely against any threat to our territory," Mr. Hagari declared.

Earlier, the Israeli army asked people in some areas of Gaza to evacuate for safety. They also posted a map of shelters in western Khan Younis and southern Rafah, which are located on the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel and Hamas resumed fighting after a week-long ceasefire in late November. Israeli officials said their military would resume full-scale attacks as soon as the ceasefire expired.

Israel is determined to eliminate Hamas worldwide , even if it takes years, said Ronen Bar, head of Israel's internal security agency.

"The cabinet gave us a goal. Simply put, to eliminate Hamas everywhere: in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Türkiye, Qatar. We are determined to do that," he said.

"It may take years, but we are there to do it. Providing security is our mission... Unfortunately we failed on October 7 (when Hamas attacked Israel). But now we are standing up. We are not waiting. We have learned from those events," the official added.

Parties urge Israel - Hamas to resume negotiations

As the Gaza conflict escalates again, mediators are calling on the parties to resume negotiations to avoid civilian casualties.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday about the situation in Gaza, stressing the need for a ceasefire. He said the escalation of hostilities was hampering reconciliation efforts and further worsening the humanitarian crisis there.

The US also urged both sides to resume negotiations and put pressure on Israel to do more to protect civilians when resuming military operations in Gaza.

"We are still working every hour to bring the parties back to the negotiating table," said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Mr. Kirby said that the reason the previous ceasefire extension negotiations broke down was because Hamas did not properly implement the initial agreement on returning hostages to Israel.

Fighting over the past two months has killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and more than 15,500 people in Gaza.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/israel-tuyen-bo-tan-cong-tren-bo-khap-gaza-canh-bao-danh-thep-hamas-20231204082655739.htm