Israel has shifted its strategy in the conflict with Hamas, focusing on a more targeted approach to locate and target Hamas fighters and leaders. The aerial assault on the Gaza Strip has caused significant destruction, leading displaced families to flee for safety. Some families were seen leaving on donkey carts loaded with belongings and children.
The Gaza health ministry reported that the Palestinian death toll had reached 22,438 by Thursday, representing almost 1% of the population of 2.3 million in Gaza. Israeli shelling on Thursday resulted in the death of more than 20 Palestinians, including 16 in Khan Younis city and nine children. Additionally, an Israeli airstrike on a car in Al-Nusseirat refugee camp killed five Palestinians.
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The attacks prompted residents of Al-Bureij, Al-Maghazi, and Al-Nusseirat refugee camps to leave, with some families using donkey carts to transport their belongings. Harsh weather conditions, including rain that turned the ground to mud, added to the difficulties faced by the displaced Palestinians.
As night fell on Thursday, Israeli planes and tanks intensified shelling towards the eastern directions of the Al-Maghazi and Al-Nusseirat camps. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant outlined a new stage in Israel’s approach, with a more targeted focus in the north and intensified pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south. The change comes after months of intense Israeli assaults that failed to significantly damage the Hamas resistance movement.
Gallant stated that operations in the north would involve raids, demolishing tunnels, air and ground strikes, and special forces operations. He asserted that after the war, Hamas would no longer control Gaza, and the enclave would be run by Palestinian bodies as long as there was no threat to Israel.
Amid international pressure and economic challenges, Israel has been reducing its forces in Gaza to allow reservists to return to their jobs. The shift in strategy and the ongoing conflict prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to embark on a week of diplomacy in the Middle East, aiming to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
