Jerusalem (AFP) – The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched “extensive strikes” as part of a fresh offensive in Gaza, after rescuers reported 100 people killed in the besieged Palestinian territory.
The army said on Telegram it had begun the “initial stages” of the offensive, known as Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
The operation was part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas”, it said in a post in Arabic.
A separate statement in English said the army was “mobilizing troops to achieve operational control in areas of the Gaza Strip”.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes on Gaza had killed 100 people on Friday, while the army said its forces had “struck over 150 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip” in 24 hours.