[Regnum] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground forces have launched a large-scale ground operation, "Gideon’s Chariot," in the northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip. This was reported on the Israeli army's Telegram channel.
"Over the past week, the Israeli Air Force has carried out a preliminary wave of strikes, hitting more than 670 Hamas terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip in an effort to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations," the statement said.
It is specified that the Israeli military hit such targets as warehouses with weapons and ammunition, launchers of anti-tank missiles, underground infrastructure facilities. It is also claimed that members of the movement, recognized by the Israeli side as terrorists, were eliminated.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Gaza Strip Health Ministry reported on May 18 that 96 people were killed and more than 140 were injured after the morning attack by Israel. The ministry noted that civilian objects were hit. The ministry also added that after the resumption of shelling by Israeli troops in Gaza, a total of more than 3,000 people were killed and about 9,000 were injured.
The IDF also struck the Palestinian semi-exclave in early May. According to Al Jazeera, at least 66 people were killed in an Israeli air force attack on May 7, and 63 Palestinians the day before.
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Israel to allow food into Gaza to prevent famine
Israel will allow the import of a “basic amount” of food products to the Gaza Strip to prevent the threat of famine in the enclave. This was reported on May 18 by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"On the recommendation of the Israel Defense Forces and in view of the urgent need to expand the intensive fighting to defeat Hamas, Israel will provide the population with basic food supplies to prevent a hunger crisis from arising in the Gaza Strip," the statement said.
Netanyahu's office also added that Israel intends to work to prevent Hamas from taking control of the distribution of humanitarian aid so that it does not end up in the hands of terrorists.
The office added that the hunger crisis would jeopardize the continuation of the large-scale ground operation "Gideon's Chariots" to defeat Hamas