Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Israeli Military Chief Approves Plans for Continued War in Gaza

09:38, 22 April 2024

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Last Saturday, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Turkey, Sameh Shoukry and Hakan Fidan, expressed concern over the escalating tensions in the Middle East and emphasized the need for a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a key factor in achieving lasting peace and preventing future crises in the region.

Sputnik

Israel's military chief of staff Herzi Halevi approved last Sunday plans for the continuation of the Israeli war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

"Today [Sunday], the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi held a situational assessment and approval of plans for the continuation of the war in the Southern Command," the IDF said on social media.

The Israeli army has been looking to expand its Gaza offensive to the southern city of Rafah, where many of the enclave’s 2.4 million population have sought shelter in the past months.

Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza after Hamas attacked the Jewish state on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and abducting over 200. The health ministry in Gaza estimates that more than 34,000 people have been killed in the Israeli onslaught and close to 77,000 others have been injured.