The Israeli military announced the start of the first phase of a new large-scale offensive in Gaza on the evening of May 16. That is, the same day that Donald Trump returned to the United States after a visit to the Middle East without a ceasefire agreement.
The Times of Israel and CNN write about this.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had launched “large-scale attacks and mobilized forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip as part of the initial steps of Operation Gideon’s Chariot and the expansion of the Gaza campaign to achieve all the objectives of the Gaza War,” including the defeat of Hamas and the release of hostages.
"Israel Defense Forces troops within the Southern Command will continue to operate to protect Israeli citizens and achieve war objectives," the military said in a statement.
The Times of Israel, citing Palestinian media, writes that during the night, Israel Defense Forces ground forces advanced towards Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Deir el-Balah is one of the few areas in Gaza where ground troops have not yet entered during the war. Previously, troops operated on the outskirts, but not deep inside the city. Now, as the IDF advances there, it has launched airstrikes and heavy artillery fire.
The new Israeli military offensive began after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in early May that Gazans would be relocated south, after his government approved a larger military operation that one minister described as a plan to "conquer" the territory.
Since May 15, the Israeli military has intensified operations across Gaza, killing more than 100 people, according to the Times of Israel. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the bombing, even as Trump has proposed creating a “free zone” in the enclave.
According to the Gaza Civil Defense, many of the casualties are in Jabal in northern Gaza and in Khan Yunis in the south.
Israelʼs war in the Gaza Strip
Active hostilities between Israel and Hamas have continued since October 7, 2023, when militants of the Islamist group launched a massive rocket attack on southern and central Israel, invaded the countryʼs territory, killed hundreds of civilians, and took hostages.
In mid-January 2025, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. In the first phase of the agreement, Hamas pledged to release 33 Israeli hostages, while Israel pledged to release more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and begin withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip. On March 2, Israel agreed to temporarily extend the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a transitional period after the first phase ended, as the parties have not yet been able to agree on how to proceed.
On the night of March 18, Israel resumed hostilities in the Gaza Strip after a two-month ceasefire. The strikes killed the de facto prime minister of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, Isaam Daalis, and four other senior Hamas officials.
Israel has placed responsibility for the resumption of hostilities on Hamas — the militants allegedly rejected all proposals to extend the ceasefire. Therefore, any further negotiations with Hamas, if they take place, will only be "under fire" — that is, Israel refuses a ceasefire as a condition for starting new negotiations.
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