Israel Expands Ground Invasion in Rafah and Intensifies Attacks Across Gaza

Since the resumption of its genocide in Gaza from early Tuesday until Thursday evening, Israel has killed 591 Palestinians and injured 1,042 others, the majority of whom are women and children, according to official figures from Gaza’s Government Media Office.

In a statement, the army said: “Our forces began a ground operation in the Al-Shaboura neighborhood of Rafah in the last few hours, where they destroyed several infrastructure sites.” However, it did not clarify the objective of the ground incursion into Rafah.

The statement added: “The army has expanded its military activities in the southern Gaza Strip while continuing operations in the north and central parts of the territory.”

It continued: “In the last few hours, warplanes and drones have continued to target and destroy elements and infrastructure across the Gaza Strip,” claiming they belong to Palestinian organizations.

On Thursday evening, Israeli forces launched an intense attack on the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on several targets in the town, though the specific locations were not identified.

This was accompanied by heavy artillery shelling targeting the town, which has already suffered massive destruction during the genocide.

As of now, no casualties or injuries have been reported from the attack.

After announcing on Wednesday evening the start of what it described as a “limited and precise” ground operation in central and southern Gaza, claiming it aimed to “expand the security zone and create a buffer area between northern and southern Gaza,” the army announced earlier on Thursday the start of another ground operation along the coastal axis in the Beit Lahia area of northern Gaza.

Additionally, on Thursday morning, the army banned the movement of Palestinians through the Salah al-Din axis, which connects northern and southern Gaza, after announcing on Wednesday its deployment in the “Netzarim axis,” which separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip.

The reopening of the Netzarim axis and allowing Palestinians to move from southern Gaza to the north was a key condition in the prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement between Tel Aviv and Hamas. However, Israel repeatedly violated the agreement before completely abandoning it and resuming genocide on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army stated on Thursday that it continues its aerial assaults across Gaza, targeting locations it claims belong to Palestinian factions.

On March 1, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, which had been in effect since January 19, officially ended. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reneged on implementing the second phase.

Netanyahu, who is wanted for international justice, sought to secure the release of more Israeli prisoners in Gaza without fulfilling the commitments of the second phase—most notably, ending the genocide and fully withdrawing from the Strip—while Hamas insisted on beginning the next phase.

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 162,000 Palestinian casualties, including martyrs and wounded, most of whom are women and children, along with more than 14,000 missing persons.