Israel to seize 'large areas' of Gaza Strip

Military operation expands as renewed offensive kills more than 300 children

JERUSALEM — Israel announced a major expansion of military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying large areas of the Palestinian territory would be seized and added to its security zones, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population.

In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz said evacuations would take place from areas where there was fighting, while urging Gazans that only eliminating Hamas and returning Israeli hostages can end the conflict.

The operation would clear out militants and infrastructure "and seize large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel", he said.