The Israeli army banned all traffic on Thursday morning on the Salaheddine road, the main route running north-south in the Gaza Strip, after announcing the previous day the launch of “targeted” military ground operations in this Palestinian territory.

“Over the past 24 hours, [Israeli] troops have begun a limited ground operation in the center and south of the Gaza Strip ... For your safety, travel between the north and south of the Gaza Strip and vice versa is prohibited on the Salaheddine axis,” Israeli army Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an AFP request for clarification on this point.

An official from Gaza's Interior Ministry told AFP that the Israeli army had closed the Martyrs crossroads, called Netzarim by the Israelis, the main lock between Gaza City and the south of the territory, on the Salaheddine road, the previous day. Israeli “tanks” deployed at this crossroads “after the withdrawal of U.S. special security forces yesterday [Wednesday] morning,” he added. He was referring to the U.S. private security guards deployed in February after the withdrawal of the Israeli army as part of the truce agreement that came into force on Jan. 19 between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement.

After several weeks of deadlock in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on the follow-up to this truce, Israel resumed full-scale hostilities on Monday night with a deadly bombing campaign.