Israel has threatened to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Israel will expand military operations in the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian Hamas movement continues to reject the hostage agreement. This was announced on April 16 by Israel Katz, the country's defense minister.

"If Hamas persists in its rejection [of the agreement], the actions will be expanded and move to new stages," he wrote on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

In addition, he stressed that Israeli troops will maintain their presence in the so-called "security zones" in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely.

"[The IDF military] will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and [Israeli] communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria," Katz was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

He noted that the Israeli military does not evacuate areas that have been cleared and captured.

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On April 15, the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah reported, citing the Gaza Ministry of Health, that more than 51,000 people had been killed in the enclave since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict began. In addition, over 116,000 residents of the Gaza Strip were injured.

The IDF resumed military operations against Hamas in Gaza on March 18.