Israel can take the Gaza Strip and control an expanded offensive against the Hamas militant group, approved by the Prime Minister’s Security Office, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday (5), authorities said.
An Israeli defense officer stated that the new attack would not be started before US President Donald Trump concludes a visit to the Middle East next week.
The decision, after weeks of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, emphasizes the threat of the accumulation of international pressure on Israel amid reducing public support in the country, as well as an indefinite end for the conflict.
A government spokesman told journalists online that soldiers were being summoned to expand operations in Gaza, not to occupy it.
Division of areas and humanitarian aid
A report by Israeli broadcaster Kan, citing authorities with knowledge of the details, said the new plan is gradual and would take months, with the forces first focused on an area of the affected territory.
The Israeli troops have already taken control of an area that corresponds to about one third of the Gaza Strip, shifting the population and building towers and surveillance stations on deforested land that the military described as safety zones, but the new plan would be beyond.
An authority of the Israeli government declared that the newly approved offensive would take the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, would travel the civilian population to the south and prevent humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas.
The defense authority said the distribution of aid, which has been done by international aid groups and UN organizations, would be transferred to private companies and distributed in the South Rafah region as soon as the offensive began.
The Israeli military, who throughout the war showed little interest in occupying Gaza, declined to comment on the speeches of government and political authorities.
Hunger in gaza and possible agreements between nations
Israel resumed the attacks in March, after breaking a US-backed ceasefire agreement that had interrupted the fighting for two months.
Since then, the Israeli government has imposed a blockade of the entry of aid in the territory, which has generated alertness of the United Nations and international organizations that fight for human rights, stating that the population of Gaza, which exceeds 2 million people, faces an intense crisis of hunger and malnutrition.
The Israeli Defense Authority said the country will maintain the security zones seized along the Gaza perimeter because they are vital to protect native communities around the territory.
But he said there was a “window of opportunity” to another ceasefire and hostage release agreement during the visit Trump will make in the area next week.
“If there is no agreement on the hostages, the” Gideon Chariots “operation will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” he said.
Mahmoud Mardawi, representative of Hamas, rejected what he called “pressure and blackmail.”
“No agreement will be accepted, except a comprehensive, which includes a complete ceasefire, the total removal of Gaza, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the release of all prisoners on both sides,” he said.
Israel has not yet shown a clear view of the postwar in Gaza, even after a campaign that has moved most of the population and made it dependent on help supplies that are decreasing rapidly from blocking.
This content was originally published in Israel can take the entire range of Gaza in a new attack, authorities say on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
