Alex Johnson
Dec 03, 2023 - 10:00

Israel Expands Gaza Ground Offensive Amid Fears of Wider Conflict After US Warship Attacked in Red Sea

Ground offensive expands to every part of Gaza, as fears of wider conflict grow after US warship attacked. UN estimates 1.8 million displaced.

The Israeli military has launched a ground offensive in every part of Gaza, with fears of a wider conflict growing after a US warship was attacked in the Red Sea. Israeli authorities have ordered more evacuations in the crowded south of Gaza, vowing that operations against Hamas will be "no less strength" than previous efforts in the north. This has led to heavy bombardment and a lack of places to go for the people of Gaza.

The United Nations estimates that 1.8 million Gazans have been displaced, with nearly 958,000 of them in 99 UN facilities in the south. Gunfire and shelling could be heard in the central town of Deir al-Balah, and drones buzzed overhead in Khan Younis. The UN human rights chief has urged an end to the war, citing unbearable civilian suffering.

The Health Ministry in Gaza said the death toll since October 7 has surpassed 15,500, with more than 41,000 wounded. There are fears that hundreds more have been killed or wounded since the end of a weeklong cease-fire. The attacks on a US warship and commercial ships in the Red Sea have further intensified fears of a wider conflict.

Hopes for another temporary truce in Gaza are fading, as Israel has called its negotiators home and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until "all its goals" are achieved. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan has said that further exchanges must be tied to a permanent cease-fire.

Israel's military has widened evacuation orders in and around Khan Younis, with residents being told to move to safer areas. The situation in hospitals is dire, with dozens of medics killed and basic supplies running short. Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas in response to the October 7 rampage, with families gathering at funerals and a lack of places for the people of Gaza to go.