Israel launches 'targeted' ground operation in central, southern Gaza: army

JERUSALEM -- Israel has launched a "targeted ground operation" in central and southern Gaza, aiming to create a buffer zone between the northern and southern parts of the Palestinian enclave, the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the military, the operation was launched "in the past 24 hours", shortly after Israel ended a two-month ceasefire and resumed airstrikes.

The military said that during the operation, Israeli troops "took control and re-established their presence up to the center of the Netzarim Corridor", a military buffer zone established by Israeli soldiers in central Gaza during the war.

The military said the ground operation aims to "expand the security zone and create a partial buffer between the northern and southern parts of the enclave".

The military did not announce a full-scale ground campaign like the one launched in October 2023, which lasted 15 months until a truce took hold on Jan. 19. However, it said that troops from the Golani infantry brigade would be stationed in the Southern Command area, near Gaza's southern border, and "will remain ready for operations in the Gaza Strip".

Israel resumed its assault on Gaza early Tuesday. The attacks have killed more than 400 Palestinians and injured more than 600, according to Gaza-based health authorities.