Israel-Hamas WarIsraeli Military Signals Intent to Move Into Southern Gaza

Here’s what we know:

The chief military spokesman said Israeli forces were prepared to expand their offensive in Gaza “in every place that Hamas is, and it is in the south of the strip.”

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The Israeli military signals its intent to battle Hamas in southern Gaza.

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Israeli forces are prepared to expand their offensive in Gaza “in every place that Hamas is, and it is in the south of the strip,” the chief Israeli military spokesman said on Friday, signaling a significant shift in Israel’s focus after three weeks of ground operations in the north and more than five weeks of airstrikes on the enclave.

In an evening news briefing, the spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said that the Israeli military was operating with “clear goals” in an operation that he said was taking place on the ground, by air and by sea.

When pressed for specifics, he said only that Israeli forces would move at a time and in a manner that served their purposes, adding that there was “no need to let the enemy know the details.”

The indication that Israel will expand its ground operation in Gaza to the south raises questions about where Palestinian civilians have left to flee to. Gazans have been saying for weeks that no place within their borders is safe. Hundreds of thousands have followed Israeli directives to evacuate northern Gaza and move to the south, only to come under fire from Israeli airstrikes.

Weeks of punishing airstrikes on Gaza and the evacuation directives have left more than 11,000 people in the enclave dead, including more than 4,600 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas. But aid groups warn that the figures are likely higher and have not been updated in days due to a communications blackout caused by lack of fuel. The U.N. says that more than half the population of 2.2 million people are internally displaced and struggling under increasingly dire conditions, many lacking food, clean water and shelter. A week ago, the World Health Organization warned of the risk of rampant disease and starvation.

Admiral Hagari did not directly respond to a question about where Gazans should go if the south becomes a focal war zone.

He said that concerns about the humanitarian situation and the needs of Palestinians had motivated the Israeli government to agree on Friday to allow fuel for aid groups into the territory. He said the fuel would help address concerns about humanitarian conditions as the Israeli military continued its mission. The fuel will be able to be used by the United Nations to operate desalination plants to create clean drinking water, among other uses, Israeli officials said on Friday, after dwindling fuel supplies were threatening to shut down humanitarian operations.

Israel “will continue to operate everywhere in Gaza,” Admiral Hagari said.

— Ephrat Livni