Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a significant escalation of Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza to capture "large areas," creating security buffers between the Palestinian enclave and Israel.

Israel says its war in Gaza is "expanding to crush and clean the area" of Hamas, but Palestinian civilians are once again being killed and displaced in huge numbers.

The Israeli military has struck a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Lebanese authorities say that at least four people were killed and seven others were wounded in the attack.

Israeli forces issued a new evacuation order for Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city. An NBC News crew spoke with people fleeing toward the Muwasi tent camp in Khan Younis.

Gazans were seen fleeing Rafah on Monday after the Israeli military issued a wide evacuation order for the southern Gaza Strip.

Over the past week, the Israeli military has pushed back into Rafah, launching air and artillery strikes, sending troops into several neighborhoods, and forcing Palestinians who had recently returned under a cease-fire to flee once again.