Israeli Military Plans to Intensify Attacks in Gaza Strip

The Israeli military intends to increase the intensity of attacks on radical Hamas group's targets in the Gaza Strip before a proposed ground operation. This was announced by the Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari. He again called on residents of northern Gaza to evacuate, noting that Hamas uses residential buildings for its operations.

The IDF representative did not disclose the timelines for the ground operation. Earlier reports indicated that it had been postponed at the request of the U.S. to allow negotiations for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

On Saturday evening, Hamas officials stated that they wanted to release two more hostages, but Israel rejected this offer. The conditions for the group's proposed release have not been disclosed. Reports from the previous day indicated that two American citizens were released unconditionally, while over 200 individuals are still being held hostage since the October 7 attack on Israel.

Israeli military officials emphasize that residents in Gaza are dying due to rockets fired towards Israel by Palestinian militant groups, which veer off course. One such incident reportedly involved an explosion in a hospital area, which U.S. intelligence estimates could have claimed between 100 and 300 lives. Associated Press, analyzing numerous videos, reached the same conclusion as the Israeli side: the explosion was apparently caused by a rocket fired by the Islamic Jihad group. Hamas, Palestinian authorities, and several Middle Eastern countries have blamed Israel for the attack.