Defense Minister Katz signals expansion of IDF operations to neutralize Hamas, secure Israeli borders, and reshape Gaza’s future. Bombs begin to fall intensively and tanks begin rolling in.

Israel has begun an intensified military offensive across the Gaza Strip, with the declared goal of dismantling Hamas rule and securing a permanent territorial buffer along its southern border. In a marked shift from containment to control, Israeli forces have been advancing in multiple sectors of the enclave, prompting fresh waves of evacuations and fierce criticism from both international observers and domestic constituencies.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the new phase of the operation, describing it as “a necessary step to ensure the safety of Israel’s citizens and to prevent the resurgence of Hamas military capability.” He added, “The operation will clear out militants and infrastructure and seize large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over southern Gaza, urging residents to evacuate areas around Rafah and Khan Younis and move toward the Al-Mawasi coastal strip, which Israel has previously designated as a humanitarian zone. This latest evacuation order affects an estimated 300,000 civilians, many of whom are already displaced and living in dire conditions.

According to Israeli officials, the aim is twofold: to eliminate Hamas’s military infrastructure and to ensure that Gaza no longer serves as a launching pad for attacks against Israeli communities. The security perimeter Israel is seeking to create may extend up to several kilometers inside Gaza, incorporating what was once agricultural land and residential areas.

Israeli leaders have signaled that no resolution can come without the full dismantling of Hamas. “If Hamas continues to hold our hostages and rejects every offer of release, we will continue fighting until there is no longer a terrorist regime in Gaza,” Katz said. “We will not allow another October 7.”

The humanitarian toll continues to climb. The Gaza Health Ministry reported 41 deaths on Tuesday alone, including women and children killed in an airstrike on a U.N. facility sheltering displaced people. While the IDF insists its strikes target Hamas operatives and weapons caches embedded in civilian areas, images of the destruction have sparked renewed international concern.

Within Israel, the political temperature is rising. The Hostage Families Forum, representing relatives of the more than 100 Israelis still believed to be held in Gaza, expressed shock and dismay at the prospect of a widened offensive that could jeopardize their loved ones’ lives. In a statement, the group said: “Every missile that falls on Gaza may seal the fate of our family members. We urge the government to pursue all options for a negotiated return.”

Opposition leaders in the Knesset echoed these sentiments, accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu and his war cabinet of prioritizing military conquest over hostage recovery. Yair Lapid called the move “short-sighted and dangerous,” adding, “Israel cannot claim the moral high ground while ignoring the pleas of its own citizens begging for the lives of their children.”

Nonetheless, a growing segment of Israeli public opinion supports the government’s position. Many residents of southern Israel, still reeling from the October 7 massacre, have demanded not only retribution but also guarantees that such attacks can never happen again. For them, a buffer zone is not an expansionist policy—it is an existential necessity.

Senior military officials have indicated that this phase of the campaign may last weeks and will involve the IDF establishing forward bases inside Gaza to prevent the reconstitution of Hamas forces. While no formal annexation has been declared, the intent to control territory “for as long as needed” signals a possible long-term Israeli presence.

Hamas, for its part, has issued statements declaring that hostages will not be released under pressure or bombardment. “Our resistance will continue, and negotiations will not be held under fire,” a senior Hamas official said Tuesday.

As the war enters its seventh month, the question is no longer whether Israel will reshape the map of Gaza—but how far it intends to go, and whether the rest of the world will accept the new contours of the conflict.