Israel issues ‘last warning’ to Gazans, launches ground offensive

Israel has renewed ground operations in Gaza, issuing a grim warning over the return of hostages, as an investigation is launched into the death of a UN worker. Follow updates.

Israel has renewed ground operations in Gaza and issued what it called a “last warning” to residents of the Palestinian territory to return hostages and remove Hamas from power.

Israel conducted this week the deadliest wave of air strikes since the start of a truce in January, killing hundreds of people according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

An Israeli soldier operates a tank at a position along Israel’s southern border with the northern Gaza Strip. Picture: AFP

Israeli soldiers conduct a raid in the Al-ain camp for Palestinian refugees west of Nablus in the occupied West Banl. Picture: AFP

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Elias Tarazi family house, after it was destroyed in an Israeli strike in al-Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza City. Picture: AFP

The military said it had “begun targeted ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip to expand the security perimeter and create a partial buffer between the north and south”.

As Israel kept up its renewed bombardment despite a chorus of calls from foreign governments to preserve the ceasefire, long lines of fleeing civilians filled the roads of Gaza on Thursday.

Families with young children fled northern Gaza for areas further south, fearing for their lives after Israel urged civilians to leave areas it described as “combat zones”.

Palestinians leave Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip with their belongings, heading towards Gaza City following Israeli evacuation orders. Picture: AFP

Israeli military vehicles deploy during an army raid in the Al-ain camp for Palestinian refugees west of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Picture: AFP

Addressing the “residents of Gaza” — ruled by Hamas since 2007 — Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a video statement that “this is the last warning”.

“Take the advice of the president of the United States. Return the hostages and remove Hamas, and other options will open up for you -- including the possibility of leaving for other places in the world for those who want to.”

He was referring to a warning earlier this month by US President Donald Trump, who said: “To the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!”

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, 58 are still held by Gaza militants, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Originally published as Israel issues ‘last warning’ to Gazans, launches ground offensive