Israel launches strikes against central and southern Gaza after widening offensive

Israel launched multiple strikes into southern and central Gaza on Wednesday, after broadening its offensive against Hamas, according to reports.

The Israeli Defense Force has ordered evacuations to central Gaza. The U.N. humanitarian office says that over 61,000 people have been displaced and are staying in shelters, according to CBS News.

Residents told the outlet that they hadn't seen this much intense bombing since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel is being attacked from seven different areas in what he calls a "multi-front war."

"We are in a multi-front war. We are being attacked from seven fronts — Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Iraq, Yemen and Iran," he said, according to The Times of Israel. "We have already responded and acted on six of those fronts."

The war began on Oct. 7 after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel which resulted in around 1,200 people being killed. 

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported that over 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war.