Israel intensified its air campaign across Gaza yesterday, including in the south where it issued new evacuation orders to civilians. Israeli troops were reported to be mounting a ground offensive in the south of the enclave and stepped up bombing raids on the southern city of Khan Younis, ignoring US calls to spare civilian lives and “not repeat the same scale of destruction” inflicted on the north. “It will be as fierce, with no lesser results … [Israel’s campaign] will be as thorough in the south as it has been in the north,” IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi said. An unnamed senior source from the Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, told Palestinian media that as many as 70% of Israeli ground forces had withdrawn from the north.

Death toll surpasses 15k: The death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza has risen to at least 15,523 — 70% of which were women and children — as of yesterday. Over 41k people have been left wounded due to the fighting, while over 1.8 mn — representing 80% of Gaza’s population — have been internally displaced.

  • Egypt will take in more injured Gazans: Qatar will pay for some 1.5k woundedPalestinians to receive treatment in Egypt, Doha said yesterday.
  • Israel is preparing for life post-war: Israel told Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey that it wants a “buffer zone” between Gaza and Israel to prevent any potential attacks on Israel after the war ends.
  • Israel wants to take its war on Hamas international: The head of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency has vowed to eliminate Hamas leaders abroad, including in Qatar and Turkey.

REGIONAL ESCALATION- The Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen targeted a US warship and several commercial vessels in the Red Sea yesterday, the Pentagon said, marking a significant escalation in the conflict outside the borders of Israel / Palestine. US Central Command (Centcom) reported four separate incidents of missile and drone attacks on three commercial ships yesterday, and said it will consider “all appropriate responses.”

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