Illustrative: Israeli soldiers operate at the Shajaiya district of Gaza city amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, Dec. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Yossi Zeliger

The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces have resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of airstrikes targeted fighters and infrastructure of the Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The operations have extended Israel‘s control over the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza, and were a “focused” maneuver aimed at creating a partial buffer zone between the north and the south of the enclave, the military said.

The renewed ground operations come a day after Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza, arguing Hamas rebuffed diplomatic efforts at extending a ceasefire and releasing Israeli hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that the goal of the military campaign in Gaza remains to achieve “the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon, including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased.”

Netanyahu said on Tuesday night that Hamas in Gaza has “already felt our strength” since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) returned to fighting, warning that future ceasefire negotiations with the terrorist group “will only take place under fire.”

However, Hamas insisted that it has not abandoned negotiations. “Hamas has not closed the door on negotiations, but we insist there is no need for new agreements,” senior official Taher al-Nunu told AFP on Wednesday, calling for international pressure to enforce the ceasefire.

Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching the truce, which went into effect on Jan. 19 and saw a weeks-long pause in fighting as Hamas released 33 hostages, 25 alive and eight dead bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were serving lengthy sentences in Israeli jails for terrorist activity.

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the war on Oct. 7, 2023, when they invaded southern Israel, murdered almost 1,200 people, and kidnapped 251 hostages.

Israel responded with its military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza.