Israel Expands Gaza Floor Offensive as Hamas Fires Rockets at Tel Aviv

The Israeli army expanded its floor operations throughout the Gaza Strip on Thursday as Hamas fired rockets at central Israel for the primary time in months, in what appeared more and more like a slide again towards full-scale conflict.

Israeli troopers started raiding a part of town of Rafah in southern Gaza, the army mentioned, in addition to close to Beit Lahiya within the north of the enclave. These strikes got here a day after Israel introduced it had recaptured a part of the Netzarim hall, which bisects central Gaza, after withdrawing from the world as a part of the January cease-fire with Hamas.

There have been no experiences of casualties from the Hamas rockets, which have been fired on the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. The Israeli army mentioned the three rockets have been both intercepted or fell in open areas.

The escalation in hostilities got here after a two-month cease-fire in Gaza collapsed this week with a lethal Israeli aerial bombardment within the territory, which the army mentioned had focused Hamas. Israel argued that the truce couldn’t proceed until Hamas launched extra hostages nonetheless held in Gaza, whereas Hamas accused Israel of violating the cease-fire settlement.

The potential endgame for this spherical of combating, nevertheless, remained removed from clear. Israel and Hamas have set seemingly incompatible circumstances for the following steps within the cease-fire, and the renewed Israeli assault had but to drive Hamas to just accept its calls for.

Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, mentioned in an interview on Thursday that the group was unwilling to disarm its army wing — a key Israeli precondition for ending the conflict.