IDF military operation in Gaza expanding to seize 'large areas', defence minister says

Israel’s military operation in Gaza is expanding to seize "large areas," the defence minister has said, while officials at hospitals inside the territory said overnight strikes had killed more than 30 people, nearly a dozen of them children.

The IDF offensive in the Palestinian enclave is "expanding to crush and clean the area" of militants and "seizing large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a written statement.

The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside the Strip running parallel to its security fence, which has expanded since the war began in 2023.

Israel says the buffer zone is needed for its security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that further shrinks the narrow coastal territory, home to around 2 million people.

Katz didn't specify which areas of Gaza would be seized in the expanded operation, which he said includes the "extensive evacuation" of the population from combat zones.

His statement came after Israel ordered the full evacuation of the southern city of Rafah and nearby areas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel aims to maintain an open-ended but unspecified security control of the Gaza Strip once it achieves its aim of crushing Hamas.

Katz called on Gaza residents to "expel Hamas and return all hostages".

The militant group still holds 59 captives, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

"This is the only way to end the war," Katz said.

The Hostage Families Forum, which represents most captives' families, said that it was "horrified to wake up this morning to the defence minister's announcement about expanding military operations in Gaza."

The group said the Israeli government "has an obligation to free all 59 hostages from Hamas captivity — to pursue every possible channel to advance a deal for their release."

They stressed that every passing day puts their loved ones' lives at greater risk.

"Their lives hang in the balance as more and more disturbing details continue to emerge about the horrific conditions they’re being held in — chained, abused, and in desperate need of medical attention," said the forum, which called on the Trump administration and other mediators to continue pressuring Hamas to release the hostages.

"Our highest priority must be an immediate deal to bring all hostages back home — the living for rehabilitation and those killed for proper burial — and end this war," the group said.