After Airstrikes, Israel Launches 'Limited Ground Operation' To Retake Parts Of Key Gaza Corridor

Last Updated:March 19, 2025, 22:22 IST

As part of the ceasefire, Israel had withdrawn from the Netzarim corridor, which it had used as a military zone and which bisected northern Gaza from the south

Israeli tanks enter Israel from Gaza, in Israel. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Israel on Wednesday launched a “limited ground operation" to retake part of a key Gaza corridor that bisects the territory.

The move appeared to deepen a renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza, which shattered the two month long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that had begun in January.

The Israeli military said that it has reoccupied the part of Netzarim corridor, which it had used as a military zone and which bisected northern Gaza from the south. Israel had earlier withdrawn from the Netzarim corridor as part of the ceasefire.

Earlier today, a UN staffer was killed and five others were injured in a strike on a UN guesthouse in the central city of Deir al-Balah in Gaza Strip.

Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Palestine citizens that Tel Aviv’s military would soon order evacuation from combat zones, and if Hamas doesn’t release a dozen hostages, who have been held for more than 17 months, then the attack would become more fierce.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services told Associated Press that the explosive ordnance was “dropped or fired" and the blast was not accidental or related to demining activity.

However, the Israeli military has denied the reports of targeting the UN site.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said at least 436 people, including 183 children and 94 women, have been killed, and 678 people have been injured since Israel launched the strikes early Tuesday.

The Israeli military said in a statement that as part of the new offensive, it struck dozens of militants and militant sites on Wednesday, including the command center of a Hamas battalion.

The war in Gaza, which was paused in January by an internationally-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, has been among the deadliest conflicts ever for humanitarian workers.

The resumption of fighting launched by Israel early Tuesday risks plunging the region back into all-out war. It came weeks after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire, during which Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages for prisoners and were set to negotiate an extension to the truce that was meant to bring about an eventual end to the war.

(With inputs from AP)

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News world After Airstrikes, Israel Launches 'Limited Ground Operation' To Retake Parts Of Key Gaza Corridor