Gaza (TDI): A strike in Gaza killed several members of a family on Friday as Israel ordered ground forces to advance deeper into the territory and pledged to hold more land until Hamas releases its remaining hostages.
The explosion east of Gaza City killed a couple and their two children, as well as two additional children who weren’t related to them but were in the same building.
The Israeli military said it targeted a militant in a Gaza City building and took measures to minimize civilian damage.
The army said on social media it was intending to conduct raids in three neighborhoods west of Gaza City, and it warned Palestinians to leave the area in advance.
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The warning came shortly after the Israeli forces said it intercepted two rockets fired from northern Gaza that set off sirens in the city Ashkelon.
After retaking part of a corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south, Israeli forces advanced on Thursday toward the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah.
The army said it had resumed enforcing a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel would carry out operations in the enclave “with increasing intensity until the hostages are freed by Hamas.”
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He continued: “I ordered the military to seize more territory in Gaza. The more Hamas refuses to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel.”
He also threatened “to expand buffer zones around the enclave by implementing a permanent Israeli occupation of the area.
