DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel said Wednesday its troops retook part of a corridor that bisects Gaza, and its defense minister warned that attacks would intensify until Hamas frees dozens of hostages and gives up control of the territory.
The military said it had retaken part of the Netzarim Corridor that divides northern Gaza from the south, and from where it had previously withdrawn as part of a ceasefire that began in January. That truce was shattered Tuesday by Israeli airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The advances on the ground by Israel on Wednesday — which included sending more troops to southern Gaza — threatened to drag the sides into all-out war again. The ceasefire had given war-weary Palestinians some respite, allowed a much-needed surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza — and led to the release of dozens of hostages who had been held for more than 15 months.
Early Thursday, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, the military said. Air raid sirens and several explosions were heard in Jerusalem, apparently the sounds of the interceptors in use. No injuries were reported. Yemen’s Houthi rebels did not immediately claim the attack Thursday morning.
Within Israel, the resumption of airstrikes and ground maneuvers in Gaza has raised concerns about the fate of roughly two dozen hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive. Thousands of Israelis took part in anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem, with many calling for a deal to bring the captives home.
A Hamas spokesman, Abdel-Latif al-Qanou, said the moves by ground forces in Gaza was a clear sign that Israel had backed out of the truce and was reimposing a “blockade.” There have been no reports of rocket attacks by Hamas since Tuesday’s bombardment.
Also Wednesday, the United Nations said one of its employees was killed in Gaza and five others were wounded in an apparent strike on a guesthouse. It was not immediately clear who was behind the strike, the U.N. said.
Israel launches ‘limited’ ground operations in Gaza
The military said its “limited ground operation” in Gaza would create a “partial buffer between northern and southern Gaza.” It wasn’t immediately clear whether the move would entirely block Palestinians from traveling north or south through the Netzarim Corridor.
Israel used the roughly 4-mile (6-kilometer) corridor as a military zone during the war. It ran from the Israeli border to the coast, just south of Gaza City, the territory’s largest metropolitan area.
Israel said airstrikes on Wednesday hit dozens of militants and militant sites, including the command center of a Hamas battalion. It denied Palestinian claims that it hit the U.N. guesthouse.
Fares Awad, an official in the Gaza Health Ministry, said an Israeli strike on a gathering of mourners in the northern town of Beit Lahiya killed 17 and wounded 30. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Israel says it will order new evacuations for Palestinians in Gaza soon
Until Israel withdrew from Netzarim in January, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had fled northern Gaza for the south were prevented from returning throughout the war. Many of them have since returned. But Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, said the military would soon order Palestinians to evacuate from combat zones.
Katz said Tuesday’s aerial bombardment “was just the first step” in Israel’s plan to ratchet up the pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages and give up control of Gaza. Until it does, Israel will attack “with an intensity that you have not known.”
