The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, stated that troops had entered the western portion of Gaza City and carried out a clearance operation. This update was reported by a major Israeli news outlet, and it signals progress as the IDF moves forward with the Gaza Strip operation.
Galant indicated that the defense forces are entering the next phase of the campaign, suggesting that broader objectives are being pursued beyond the initial actions in the city.
He also floated the possibility that hostages held inside Palestinian territory could be released as the mission advances deeper into Gaza, noting that deeper incursions are likely to apply greater pressure on Hamas.
According to his remarks, the deeper the ground operation penetrates, the higher the chances of recovering Israeli hostages as part of the broader effort to secure detainees currently being held.
Earlier, IDF units reportedly gained control of a port area in the Gaza Strip that the radical Palestinian faction Hamas has used for militant activities, marking a tactical development within the wider conflict.
The crisis in the Middle East intensified after thousands of Hamas militants crossed from Gaza into Israeli territory on October 7, triggering the initiation of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, Israel’s leadership declared a state of war and outlined a broad retaliatory strategy.
The stated objective of Israel’s response, framed as Operation Iron Sword, has been to repel the incursion, facilitate the return of more than 200 hostages, including foreign nationals, and dismantle Hamas. From the outset of the operation, Israel launched substantial rocket strikes into Gaza. At the same time, the National Security Council announced measures that restricted essential supplies such as water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid convoys began moving toward Gaza via the Rafah crossing, though their volumes were reportedly insufficient in the early stage of aid delivery.
On October 27, Israel announced plans to expand its ground operation in Gaza. The exact start date of the expanded phase remained unclear, but the civilian population had already faced displacement, with hundreds of thousands relocating to shelters and seeking safety in the southern parts of the region prior to the intensification.
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to confront Hamas and to pursue its defeat as part of the broader military and political objectives in the region.