Israel launches ‘initial stages’ of new Gaza operation: military

The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched “extensive strikes” in the Gaza Strip over the past day as part of the “initial stages” of a fresh offensive on the besieged Palestinian territory.The strikes were part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas”, Israel’s army said in a statement in Arabic on Telegram.Gaza’s civil defence agency earlier said Israeli strikes on Gaza had killed 100 people on Friday,The offensive, known as “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”, comes as Israel faces pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade in return for a US-Israeli hostage released by Hamas.