Israel launched an operation in an area of Gaza where it had not entered yet

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began ground operations in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the center of the Gaza Strip. This is the first time Israeli troops have entered that area since the beginning of the war.

The incursion comes as fighting continues on other fronts of the enclave and ceasefire negotiations in Doha appear to be stalled.

Israel accuses Hamas terrorists of deliberately delaying their response  to the latest proposal presented by mediators.

"The Israeli army continues to act with great intensity  to destroy the enemy's capabilities and its terrorist infrastructure in the area, while expanding its activity to a zone where it hadn't operated before," said the IDF's Arabic spokesperson, Colonel Avichay Adraee.

Until now, Deir al-Balah had been avoided by Israeli ground forces due to the suspicion that Hamas was holding Israeli hostages there. Although the area had been targeted by airstrikes, the army had refrained from launching a ground offensive for fear of endangering the captives.

Hamas, meanwhile, has threatened to execute hostages if the troops approach.

Deir al-Balah, relatively less affected by the fighting so far, had become a refuge for thousands of displaced people from northern and southern Gaza. Most of its buildings still stand, unlike other devastated areas of the enclave.

There, during a truce in February, Hamas released three Israeli hostages —Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami— in a public act of humiliation that provoked strong condemnation.

The announcement this Sunday included an evacuation order for residents of the southwest of the city, urging them to move toward the coastal area of Mawasi.