The war began when Hamas-led militants blew holes in the border fence and stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. They killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, about a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israeli ground forces have "started to operate" around a northern Gaza town, expanding an anti-Hamas offensive that will apparently see residents kept out indefinitely.

Israel’s army has already split the Gaza Strip into two zones, and the IDF claims the northern part is now devoid of Palestinian civilians. Opponents decry this as "ethnic cleansing." While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicized the next steps,