Gaza [Palestine], April 17: AFP news agency on April 17 quoted the Israeli government as claiming to have used 30% of the Gaza Strip as a buffer zone, while continuing its relentless military offensive and vowing to maintain a humanitarian aid blockade for the territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered security officials and negotiators to continue pressuring for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Israel resumed air and ground attacks there on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.
The Israel Defense Forces said they had "gained full control over a number of key areas and routes" throughout the Gaza Strip. "About 30% of the territory of the Gaza Strip is currently designated as an operational security perimeter," according to the IDF.
The IDF added that Israeli airstrikes had hit "about 1,200 terrorist targets" and that "more than 100 targets had been destroyed" since March 18.
Israeli officials have repeatedly said that military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to release the 58 hostages still held in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the country will continue to block aid into Gaza, a territory of 2.4 million people. Israel halted aid on March 2, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis there.
"The blocking of this aid is one of the main levers of pressure that prevents Hamas from using it as a tool against the people," he said.
The United Nations said an estimated 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the ceasefire ended, triggering the most serious humanitarian crisis Gaza has faced since hostilities began following Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
Senior officials in Israel's security services say that humanitarian supplies and food in Gaza will only be enough for about a month, according to Kan Radio.
The report said senior IDF officials were discussing ways to get aid into Gaza without involving Hamas. Accordingly, the Israeli security apparatus is in contact with civilian groups capable of providing humanitarian aid. This may be in a future agreement.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper