A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Israel has launched a new ground invasion into Gaza.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
That's expanding what it says is a new offensive in the enclave after it broke the nearly two-month long ceasefire with Hamas. On Tuesday, there were a series of airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more.
MARTÍNEZ: We're joined now by NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Tel Aviv. Kat, so what can you tell us about the ground invasion and what's happening?
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: So Israel is calling this a, quote, "targeted ground operation" into central and southern Gaza. But we've heard that language from the Israeli military before. It was used a lot in Gaza before the ceasefire, and that invasion caused widespread devastation and destruction and killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to health officials there. The Israeli military said its aim with this ground invasion is to expand what it calls the, quote, "security perimeter" that separates Gaza from southern Israel. Israel has also sent troops back into areas that they had retreated from during the ceasefire, like the Netzarim Corridor. That's a large strip of land that divides Gaza's north and south. Early on in the war, Israel created that corridor and then closed passage for Palestinians between the north and south for more than a year. Just this morning, it partially closed passage again.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, what have you been hearing from Palestinians living in Gaza and the situation around them?
LONSDORF: Yeah, I mean, people are worried and scared. Many had just started trying to pick up what they could of their lives during that eight weeks of relative calm. And they're now shocked to be back in the war, with airstrikes and evacuation orders again. You know, it's important to remember that Israel has been blocking all aid, including electricity, into Gaza for more than two weeks now, trying to pressure Hamas into accepting a new ceasefire deal on different terms than were agreed to back in January. And there are still ongoing Israeli airstrikes. At least 70 people were killed yesterday, according to Gaza's civil defense, and more were reported overnight.
Our producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, spoke to one woman in Gaza City. She's a grandma named Um Saif Aura (ph). She says her son and his whole family were killed earlier in the war, and now the building she was staying in with three of her grandchildren was damaged in these strikes.
UM SAIF AURA: (Non-English language spoken).
LONSDORF: You can hear the pain and anger in her voice there. She said, "this is a calamity. We can't take it anymore."
MARTÍNEZ: What are Israeli government officials saying?
LONSDORF: Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz put out a video statement yesterday, addressing it to Gaza residents. He spoke in Hebrew with Arabic subtitles. And he told them that this is their, quote, "final warning," saying that all the hostages must be released and Hamas must be removed from power.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ISRAEL KATZ: (Speaking Hebrew).
LONSDORF: He said, "what comes next will be much harsher, and you will bear the full consequences." He went on to say that Israel will act, quote, "with force beyond anything you have ever seen."
MARTÍNEZ: OK, and what did - how did Hamas respond?
LONSDORF: Earlier today here in Tel Aviv, sirens sounded around the city and then several loud explosions shook the air. Hamas later took responsibility, saying it fired rockets toward the city in response to Israel's airstrikes in Gaza. It's the first time the militant group has done that - fired rockets toward Tel Aviv - since October of last year. The Israeli military said it intercepted one rocket and two others fell in, quote, "open spaces." No casualties were reported.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, that's NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Tel Aviv. Kat, thank you very much for your reporting on this.
LONSDORF: Thanks so much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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