Israeli forces launch 'extensive' ground operation across Gaza as death toll mounts

This photo released on May 16, 2025 shows Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip. [Israel Defense Forces/Handout via Xinhua]

The Israeli military announced Sunday a significant ground incursion into "multiple areas" of the Gaza Strip, as Palestinian health officials reported overnight and morning airstrikes that they said killed at least 67 people, including many women and children.

The military stated that ground forces, including reservists, have begun "extensive operations" in both northern and southern Gaza under an offensive it termed "Gideon's Chariots." This campaign marks a new phase in Israel's now 20-month-old war against Hamas and other militant factions.

Palestinian sources reported that Israeli airstrikes hit the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza, including tents sheltering displaced civilians.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Friday that at least 67 Palestinians had been killed and 361 others wounded in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip over the preceding 24 hours.

Local health authorities have confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli offensive since October 2023 has reached 53,339, with an additional 121,043 people injured. They added that the majority of the casualties were women and children.

According to their figures, the death toll since Israel's resumption of hostilities on March 18, following a two-month truce, has risen to 3,193, with 8,993 others injured.

The Israeli military said its forces have killed "dozens" of militants, dismantled both above- and below-ground military infrastructure, and are now positioned at strategic locations within Gaza.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to operate against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip as required, in order to defend Israeli civilians," the military said in a statement.

Israeli officials stated that the objectives of the "Gideon's Chariots" operation include seizing key parts of the enclave, pushing a majority of Gaza's around 2 million residents further south, and resuming humanitarian aid distribution under stricter Israeli oversight.

Meanwhile, delegations from Israel and Hamas convened in Doha, Qatar, for another round of indirect negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Diplomats indicated that progress remained elusive, with both sides maintaining firm positions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed earlier on Sunday that an Israeli negotiation team was engaged in indirect talks in Doha regarding a hostage release deal with Hamas, which could include a potential end to the Gaza war.

The Prime Minister's office stated that the negotiation team in Doha was working "to realize every chance for a deal," including one that would "end the fighting," secure the release of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, expel Hamas militants, and disarm the Gaza Strip.