Israeli military says it will increase airstrike on Gaza

Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), on Saturday said the military will increase airstrikes on Gaza starting this evening.

“We’ll deepen our strikes, minimise the risks to our forces in the next stages of the war and we’re going to increase the attacks from today,” he said at a news conference.

Hagari urged residents of Gaza City “to continue moving south for their safety”.

The Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, also told IDF commanders Saturday that the military is readying an operation to enter Gaza and take out Hamas.

“We’ll enter the Gaza Strip. We’ll embark on an operational and professional task to destroy Hamas operatives and infrastructures,” the chief said in comments to the Golani Brigade of the IDF, as reported by CNN.

The Israeli military began carrying out retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza following Hamas’s surprise attacks on Israel two weeks ago, which killed more than 1,400 people.

Palestinian health officials say more than 4,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then.

Israel is widely expected to launch a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip soon, but the timing remains unknown.