JERUSALEM/ANKARA

The Israeli army announced late Friday that it is entering the initial stage of a recently announced campaign against the Gaza Strip.

The army said it launched the first stage of a major offensive in Gaza -- "Gideon Chariots."

The Security Cabinet on May 5 unanimously approved a new plan, Gideon’s Chariots, for Israel “to conquer Gaza” and hold the territory under its control.

The army said in the last day, it has “launched extensive attacks and mobilized forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip, as part of the opening moves of Operation Gideon’s Chariots and the expansion of the campaign in Gaza."

The statement claimed that the new campaign would "achieve all the goals of the war in Gaza, including the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas."

During the last three days, which coincided with US President Donald Trump's regional visit that began Tuesday, Israel killed more than 370 Palestinians, a sharp rise compared to 78 killed in the previous three days, according to Anadolu’s tally based on data from Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.