Israel launches ‘extensive’ ground assault in Gaza amid ceasefire talks with Hamas | World News
The Israeli military on Sunday announced it has begun extensive ground operations throughout northern and southern Gaza as part of a new assault on the territory.
This comes as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have been continuing in Qatar for a second day amid reports of little progress.
In a statement posted on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote: “Over the past week, the IAF conducted a preliminary wave of strikes, striking over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout Gaza to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations. The IAF continues to provide consent support to operating troops in Gaza. Thus far, the troops eliminated dozens of terrors, dismantled terror infrastructure sites above and below ground, and are currently being deployed in key positions within Gaza. The IDF will continue to operate against the terror organizations in Gaza as required, in order to defend Israeli civilians.”
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Over the past week, the IAF conducted a… pic.twitter.com/3qZq1ngMfH
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 18, 2025
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Miner Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Tel Aviv was open to a deal with Hamas that would include “ending the fighting” in Gaza, but laid out conditions that have been repeatedly refused the Palestinian militant group.
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Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 130 Palestinians across Gaza overnight, according to Palestinian health officials. However, Gaza’s health minry said all public hospitals in the north of the territory were “out of service” after relentless Israeli bombardments.
The territory’s health minry accused Israel of “intensifying its systematic campaign to target hospitals”, targeting and sieging the Indonesian hospital in the north of the Strip, which has reportedly been knocked out of service.
Earlier on Saturday, Israel’s military announced the launch of “Operation Gideon’s Chariot”, which it said could lead to the seizure of swaths of Gaza and the displacement of much of the population to its south.
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