Israeli forces pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, taking over sections of an important corridor that divides the Palestinian enclave, the most important territory operation since the collapse of the ceasefire with Hamas.
The operation followed a large scale of Israeli aerial bombing in Gaza that began early Tuesday morning, ending the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas she had held since mid -January. More than 400 people were killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish citizens and fighters.
Israeli soldiers said the soldiers had begun “targeted ground activities” along the road – known as a Netzarim corridor – to create a “partial buffer zone” between northern and southern Gaza. The Israeli forces had expanded their control “in the center of the Netzarim corridor”, the army said.
Israel did not return to the Gaza full -scale war that will match the intensity of 15 months of air bombing and soil invasion. But with the gradual reinforcing the attacks, the Israeli leaders seemed to try to force Hamas to reach more favorable terms for a settlement.
In a television direction, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, pledged that Israel would only negotiate in parallel with attacks on Hamas. He said that the last wave of air raids was “only the beginning”.
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing power,” Mr Netanyahu said in a television statement. “And from now on, negotiations will only take place under fire.”
During the 15 -month campaign against Hamas, the Israeli forces occupied and reinforced the area around the Netzarim corridor, which cuts the pocket about half. Road control allowed the Israeli army to prevent hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza.
Israeli troops were gradually withdrawn from Netzarim after the art of truce with Hamas in mid -January. The Palestinians returned home massively in emotional scenes, often finding few but ruins, where their homes and neighborhoods were once standing.
