Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military would expand its operations in Gaza and occupy "large swaths" of the territory, including in the so-called "security zones" established by the Israeli army. According to the minister, the expansion of the operation is aimed at clearing the region of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and destroying them. According to him, this will require a large-scale evacuation of Palestinians.
The Israeli military has already warned residents of the Gaza Strip who live in the areas of the cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis in the south of the enclave about the evacuation, ordering them to move to the Al-Mawasi area, which was previously declared a humanitarian zone.
Katz said the evacuation would be carried out from areas where fighting is taking place and called on Gazans to destroy Hamas and return Israeli hostages, noting that this is the only way to end the war. Katz's statement does not specify which territories Israel intends to occupy.
