Israel says ground operations are expanding in Gaza as the war with Hamas intensifies

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Saturday morning that Israeli ground forces are inside Gaza after entering the Strip at night from the north.

Hagari said during a press conference in Tel Aviv that Israeli forces “penetrated into the Gaza Strip and expanded the ground operation in which infantry, armored units, engineers and artillery participated with heavy fire.”

He added, “The forces are in the field and continue to fight,” without giving further details.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) The spokesman’s words confirm that the military operation witnessed a significant expansion after what it described earlier as “two targeted raids” that took place on Wednesday night and Thursday night. Both raids saw ground forces withdraw after a few hours.

However, any major ground offensive aimed at seizing large swaths of territory does not appear to have begun yet.

Hajjari said that the army did not suffer any losses in the fighting during the night, and added: “We continue to do everything in our power to keep our forces safe.”

The Israeli army spokesman said that Gazans who moved to the southern Gaza Valley, a waterway linking the center of the Strip, are in an area he described as a “protected area,” and will receive more food, water and medicine today, although he did not provide them with anything. Any details.

Hajari also repeated his appeal to ignore rumors about a hostage deal with Hamas, describing it as a cynical move by the movement aimed at promoting what he called “psychological terrorism.”

“The repatriation of hostages is a major national effort. All our operational activities are directed towards achieving this goal,” he said.