Israel expands war against Hamas to southern Gaza

By Nathan Morley

An Israeli commander has said the objectives of the army’s ground offensive in northern Gaza have almost been achieved, even as it presses ahead with operations in the south.

Israel has instructed tens of thousands of Palestinians to move, but an Israeli spokesman denied Israel was trying to drive the population from Gaza permanently.

A UN official on the ground, James Elder, said Palestinians were running out of places to go.

Senior American officials have reiterated their view that Israel has a right to defend itself but added that its troops must protect civilians.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Unlike most of its Western allies, Turkey does not view Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The Hamas attack on Israel in early October killed 1,200 people, with around 240 others taken hostage. Since then, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 15,500 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign.