JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel Defense Forces troops are back on the ground in Gaza as Israel expands its operation against Hamas. The latest military action is designed to defeat Hamas and free the remaining hostages.
The incursion requires the soldiers to retake areas they once controlled.
IDF Sergeant Major Chaim Malespin told CBN's Raj Nair that Hamas and other terror groups were using the ceasefire to prepare for another invasion of Israel.
"Our intelligence gave a very strong indication that in this re-grouping time, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Jabbat al Nusra, etc., actually wanted to do another invasion," Malespin stated. "Right now, this is what our intelligence sources said – to use the time they had, the little time they had – to do another invasion."
The IDF is urging civilians to get out of the combat zones.
A displaced Palestinian from Beit Hanoun, Moaz Nasser, remarked, "Yesterday, the Israeli army dropped leaflets asking us to evacuate the area in Beit Hanoun."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warns that it's going to get worse if the hostages are not freed and Hamas is not removed from power.
"Unless all the hostages are released and Hamas is expelled from Gaza, Israel will act with forces never before seen," Katz said, and cautioned Gaza Palestinians, "Take the U.S. president's advice. Return the hostages and expel Hamas and other options will be presented to you, including relocating to other places in the world for those who wish. The alternative is utter destruction and devastation."
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In Washington, the Trump administration insists the new fighting could end right away if Hamas would accept the U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefire begun in January.
An administration spokesperson warned, "The opportunity is still there, but it's closing fast."
The State Department believes what President Trump wants most is a permanent and real peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce noted, "President Trump is not just wanting a peaceful day or a peaceful week. We have this window of this administration to change the trajectory of what has been decades and decades, coming up on a hundred years of carnage that is now unacceptable."
On another front, the president has reportedly given the Iranians two months to negotiate a deal to ensure they don't develop nuclear weapons. Trump indicated if this can't be done peacefully, it will have to be done militarily.
Iran threatens to retaliate. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghei declared, "We will firmly respond to any aggression against our territorial integrity, national security or interests, with full force. There is no question about that."
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