JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Friday it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, drawing a dismissal from the militant group and renewed international calls to end the conflict, while stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

Israel’s air and ground war has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population , destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine . The timing of another major ground operation is unclear. It will likely require mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe.

An official familiar with the plans to take over Gaza City said the operation would be “gradual” and that there is no st

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