Jerusalem, April 3 (NationPress) The Israeli military has ordered civilians in several regions of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate without delay, citing intercepted rocket fire from Palestinian territories.

Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee on Wednesday urged residents to move west to the shelters in Gaza City immediately, alleging that terrorist groups were launching attacks from civilian areas.

Earlier on the same day, Israel's military reported that its air defense systems intercepted two rockets fired from northern Gaza. Air raid sirens were activated in communities near the Palestinian enclave, according to police reports.

Israel has also heightened its control over the southern part of the enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a territorial expansion in southern Gaza, announcing that troops were taking land to create a new security corridor.

In a video statement, Netanyahu mentioned that forces had begun to secure the area between Khan Younis and Rafah, referring to it as a “second Philadelphi Corridor”, similar to the buffer zone Israel maintains along its border with Egypt. “We are slicing up the enclave,” he stated, promising to continue attacking militants and dismantling infrastructure.

Separately, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed carrying out airstrikes in Syria targeting military installations in Homs and Hama, as well as infrastructure near Damascus, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.

The IDF stated that the strikes targeted “remaining military capabilities” at the T-4 (Tiyas) Air Base and Hama, along with sites in the Damascus region, labeling the operation as a response to “threats against Israeli civilians.”

Syrian state news agency SANA reported strikes on an airport in Hama and locations near a scientific research center in the Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus.

Israel resumed extensive air and ground operations in Gaza on March 18 after weeks of suspended food and fuel deliveries. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry indicated that since the renewed offensive, 1,066 Palestinians have been killed and 2,597 wounded, bringing the total death toll to 50,423, with 114,638 injured since the conflict began in October 2023.