IOF launch Rafah ground invasion to expand 'security zone' in Gaza
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The invasion closely follows threats by Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and Katz, to seize territory from Gaza if Hamas refuses to release the Israeli captives.
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Israeli troops are crossing into occupied Palestinian territory from the Gaza Strip, on Saturday, January 18, 2025. (AP)
The Israeli Occupation Forces announced the start of a ground operation in the Rafah area, aiming to expand the security zone in southern Gaza on Saturday.
An Israeli military spokesperson stated that in recent hours, Israeli forces have launched a ground operation in the al-Junina neighborhood of Rafah in a bid to expand the security zone in the southern Gaza Strip. During the operation, the spokesperson claimed that the IOF destroyed Hamas infrastructure.
This comes as "Israel" continues to intensify its war on Gaza, striking numerous parts of the enclave, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians.
921 Palestinians killed while 'Israel' threatens land seizure
In the past 24 hours, Gaza hospitals received 26 Palestinian martyrs, including one whose body was retrieved from the rubble, along with 70 injuries, while several victims remain trapped under the rubble and on the streets, as ambulance and civil defense teams are unable to reach them.
Since March 18, 2025, the total number of martyrs has risen to 921, while the number of injuries has reached 2,054. The overall toll of the Israeli genocide since October 7, 2023, has now reached 50,277 martyrs and 114,095 injuries.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to annex Gazan territory if Hamas does not release the remaining Israeli captives, “The more Hamas continues in its refusal to release our hostages, the more powerful the repression we exert will be,” the Israeli PM said during a parliamentary hearing on March 27.
"I say this to my colleagues in the Knesset, and I say it to Hamas as well: this includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate here," he continued.
Israeli Security Minister Israeli Katz echoed these threats the week before, while on March 26, Katz said the occupation military would "soon operate with full force in additional areas of Gaza" and would send out more evacuation orders.
In a statement on Friday, Katz said, "I ordered (the army) to seize more territory in Gaza... The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel."
