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Israeli Military Says It Is Preparing to Fight Hamas in Southern Gaza

The expansion of fighting to the south raises the specter of even more civilian casualties.

The Israeli military is preparing to broaden fighting in Gaza to “every place that Hamas is, and it is in the south of the strip,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a Friday news briefing. Hagari declined to give specifics, rationalizing that there was “no need to let the enemy know the details.” Hagari added that 372 soldiers with the Israel Defense Forces had been killed since Oct. 7. The expansion of fighting to the south raises the specter of even more civilian casualties as Palestinian civilians struggle to escape the fighting. Airstrikes and fighting across the strip have killed over 11,000 people, local officials reported.