Israel says it plans to take over Gaza City
Israel said Friday it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, drawing a dismissal from the militant group and renewed international calls to end the conflict, while stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
Israel’s air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation remains unclear since it will likely hinge on mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe.
Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are working on a new framework that will include the release of all hostages — dead and alive — in one go in return for an end of the war in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, two Arab officials told The Associated Press.
Before Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the plan to take over Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had outlined more sweeping plans Thursday in an interview with Fox News, saying Israel planned to take control of all of Gaza. Israel already controls around three-quarters of the territory.
Hamas rejected Israel’s plans in a statement. “Expanding of aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park,” the group said.
An expanded offensive could widen discord between Israel and international powers, which have stepped up criticism of the war amid mounting shock over media reports showing starvation.
Britain urged Israel to reconsider, and Germany said it would not authorize the export of military equipment that could be used in Gaza until further notice.
“The even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli Cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
Tensions could rise further if Netanyahu follows through on the more sweeping plans to take control of the entire territory, two decades after Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the strip.
Asked in the interview with Fox News ahead of the Security Cabinet meeting if Israel would “take control of all of Gaza,” Netanyahu replied: “We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there.” He added that Israel did not intend to “keep it.”
Israel’s new plan stopped short of that, and may be aimed in part at pressuring Hamas to accept a ceasefire on Israel’s terms.
