Israel says it started military offensive in southern Gaza 'no less powerful' than one in the north

The Israeli military on Sunday said it is expanding its activities to the southern portion of the Gaza Strip and its actions "will be no less powerful" than those in the north, where their troops have been fighting since terrorists attacked inside Israel on Oct. 7. 

Israel ordered many of the residents of north Gaza to evacuate as it conducted its military activities in the region, which it continued to do Sunday, but in a new move, the military also ordered evacuations from parts of the southern Gaza Strip.

"Yesterday morning we started the same move in the south of the Gaza Strip, it will be no less powerful than [in the north]. It will have no less results than this, and the commanders in Hamas will meet the IDF everywhere in a very, very strong way," an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson said, as translated. 

Meanwhile, Israel said Sunday that it has discovered more than 800 terror tunnels in Gaza since it launched operations in October. Israel also said Sunday that it eliminated a Hamas battalion leader who invaded Israel on Oct. 7, a day that saw the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of about 240 others.

Tensions in the region already reached a new high Sunday when an American warship and multiple commercial vessels were attacked in the Red Sea. Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks. 

The United Nations estimates that 1.8 million people in Gaza have been displaced as a result of the fighting, according to The Associated Press. 

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