Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday that Israel would seize full control of Gaza, as Israeli forces escalated their offensive across the devastated enclave.
After Israel announced it would let limited aid into Gaza, the head of the World Health Organization issued a stark warning on the humanitarian crisis in the territory, saying that "2 million people are starving."
On the ground, the Israeli military issued an evacuation call to Gazans in the southern city of Khan Younis and nearby areas ahead of what it described as an "unprecedented attack."
The call came after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in an expanded offensive against Hamas, and following air strikes that rescuers said killed at least 52 people on Monday.
"The fighting is intense and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip," Netanyahu said in a video posted on Telegram.
Israel earlier this month approved plans for the expanded offensive currently underway and said it was aimed at the "conquest" of Gaza and the displacement of its people.
"We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped," said Netanyahu.
Israel has come under mounting pressure, including from key backer the United States, to lift a total blockade it imposed on Gaza more than two months ago.
"We must not let the population (of Gaza) sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons," Netanyahu said, adding that even friends of Israel would not tolerate "images of mass starvation."
