Israel has amassed troops around Rafah, hours after the defence minister announced a major expansion of the military offensive in Gaza. Israel Katz says large areas will be seized and incorporated into Israel's security zones. Artillery fire and air strikes in the early hours of Wednesday have killed at at least 21 Palestinians across the strip. More than 1,000 people have been killed since Israel broke the ceasefire on March the 18th. Tahani Mustafa, from the International Crisis Group, says most analysts aren’t surprised Israel has expanded its military assault to seize more land in Gaza and “depopulate” Palestinians from the territory.
