Israel orders mass evacuations in Gaza amid military expansion
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Tel Aviv: The Israeli military has ordered civilians in multiple areas of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate immediately, citing intercepted rocket fire from Palestinian territory.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued an urgent warning on Wednesday, advising residents to "move immediately west to the shelters in Gaza City." He alleged that "terrorist organisations" were launching attacks "from among civilians".
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel's military said its air defence systems intercepted two rockets fired from northern Gaza. Air raid sirens sounded in communities near the Palestinian enclave, police said.
Israel also tightened its grip on the southern part of the enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a territorial expansion in southern Gaza, declaring troops were seizing land to establish a new security corridor.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said forces had begun taking control of the area between Khan Younis and Rafah, calling it a "second Philadelphi Corridor" akin to the buffer zone Israel occupies along Gaza's border with Egypt. "We are slicing up the enclave," he said, vowing to continue "striking militants and destroying infrastructure."
Separately, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed airstrikes in Syria targeting military bases in Homs and Hama, as well as infrastructure near Damascus, reports Xinhua news agency.
The IDF said the strikes hit "remaining military capabilities" at the T-4 (Tiyas) Air Base and Hama, along with sites in the Damascus area, calling the operation a response to "threats against Israeli civilians".
Syrian state news agency SANA reported strikes on an airport in Hama and areas near a scientific research centre in Damascus' Barzeh neighbourhood.
Israel resumed large-scale air and ground operations in Gaza on March 18 after weeks of halted food and fuel deliveries. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry reported 1,066 Palestinians killed and 2,597 wounded since the renewed offensive, bringing the total death toll to 50,423, with 114,638 injured since the war began in October 2023.
(inputs from IANS)