The Israeli cabinet has approved plans to expand the war on Gaza and remain in the enclave for an unspecified amount of time. Benjamin Netanyahu said the new offensive will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas.
Netanyahu stated in a video message on X that Gaza’s Palestinian population “will be moved, for its own protection”.
The Israeli Prime Minister also added that Israeli soldiers would not go into Gaza, launch raids, and then retreat. “The intention is the opposite of that,” he said.
Israeli attacks over the last eighteen months have killed over 52,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded nearly 120,000 others.
According to the reported plan, Palestinians will be forced to move to Gaza’s south. A source told AFP news agency that Netanyahu “continues to promote” Donald Trump’s plan for the departure of Palestinians from the enclave.
Additionally, the Israeli cabinet approved plans to have the Israeli military distribute food and other vital supplies to over two million in Gaza.
The United Nations and other aid groups have denounced the plans. In a joint statement, UN agencies and NGOs stated that the plan,
“Contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic - as part of a military strategy.”
Reuters news agency reported that the expanded offensive “could go as far as seizing the entire enclave”.