Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that a new campaign in Gaza will involve a heavy military effort designed to defeat Hamas, reports RTE.
Still, he did not clarify the extent of the territory that would be taken under Israeli control.
This follows confirmation from an Israeli official that the security cabinet has sanctioned a broader military operation in Gaza. The plan includes taking control of parts of the territory and encouraging residents to evacuate, reports RTE.
“Population will be moved, for its own protection,” Mr Netanyahu said in a video shared on X. He emphasized that Israeli forces would not enter Gaza briefly only to withdraw again, reports RTE.
“The intention is the opposite of that,” he said, reports RTE.
The European Union has urged Israel to act with restraint. Meanwhile, the United Nations and various aid organizations have repeatedly issued warnings about the growing humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where famine is again a concern following more than two months of total Israeli blockade.
“The European Union is concerned at the planned extension of the operation by Israeli forces in Gaza, which will result in further casualties and suffering for the Palestinian population,” EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said, reports RTE.
“We urge Israel to exercise the utmost restraint,” he added, reports RTE.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris described the news of Israel’s planned military expansion as “alarming”.
“Such a move would result in further deaths, casualties and untold suffering from the Palestinian population who already face a dire humanitarian situation,” he said, reports RTE.
“I strongly urge the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint.”
At the same time, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s chief expressed opposition to the proposed plan, citing humanitarian grounds, reports RTE.
“We cannot and will not do something which is fundamentally against humanitarian principles,” Jan Egeland said, noting that “the United Nations agencies, all other international humanitarian groups and NGOs have said no to be part of this idea coming from the Israeli cabinet and from the Israeli military,” reports RTE.
This decision, made overnight, came shortly after the Israeli military said it would mobilize tens of thousands of reservists to intensify its offensive in Gaza.
“The plan will include, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection,” the official said, reports RTE.
A report from Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, citing informed sources, indicated that the new strategy would unfold gradually over months, with military efforts concentrating on one sector of Gaza at a time.
Such a phased approach may allow room for negotiations around a ceasefire and the release of hostages before US President Donald Trump visits the region next week, according to security cabinet minister Zeev Elkin.
“There is still a window of opportunity until President Trump concludes his visit to the Middle East, if Hamas understands we are serious,” Mr Elkin told Kan this morning, reports RTE.
With control already established over roughly one-third of Gaza, Israel resumed ground operations in March after a two-month ceasefire backed by the US fell apart.
Since then, it has enforced a complete blockade on humanitarian aid entering the area.
Mr Elkin explained that unlike previous tactics of temporary incursions, Israeli forces would now maintain control of areas seized until Hamas is either dismantled or agrees to leave and disarm, reports RTE.
Hamas has rejected such conditions. Israel, meanwhile, has not presented a detailed vision for Gaza’s future once the conflict ends. International pressure continues to mount as the campaign has displaced a large portion of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, who now rely heavily on shrinking aid supplies.
The Israeli official added that the revised military plan would relocate civilians southward and prevent humanitarian supplies from being accessed by Hamas, although the blockade remains in place, reports RTE.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is also reportedly still backing a proposal from Mr Trump that would facilitate voluntary relocation of Gazans to countries like Jordan or Egypt, the source said.
The cabinet – made up of Netanyahu and several other Israeli ministers – “unanimously approved” this strategy to dismantle Hamas and bring back hostages held in Gaza, reports RTE.
The official mentioned the plan includes “powerful strikes against Hamas,” but didn’t offer more specific information.
Yesterday, military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir confirmed that “tens of thousands” of reservists were being called up to support expanded operations in Gaza, reports RTE.
“The plan approved by the cabinet deserves to be called the ‘Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan’ for sacrificing the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, reports RTE.
This was a reference to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Mr Netanyahu, whose government is considered one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
The Israeli security cabinet also authorized the “possibility of humanitarian distribution” within Gaza, which has been fully blockaded since 2 March, reports RTE.
It said there was “currently enough food” in the region, although UN agencies and humanitarian organizations have strongly warned of the growing impact of the blockade on Gaza’s 2.4 million people.
The cabinet “approved by a large majority the possibility of a humanitarian distribution, if necessary, to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities”, the official said, reports RTE.
Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, stated on X that Israel is demanding the shutdown of the UN and NGO-led aid systems in Gaza.
“They want to manipulate and militarise all aid to civilians, forcing us to deliver supplies through hubs designed by the Israeli military, once the government agrees to re-open crossings. NRC will stand by our humanitarian principles and will, with all our peers, refuse to take part in this new scheme,” he said, reports RTE.
UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power warned that Gaza is “approaching a worst case scenario,” which he described as “nothing short of barbaric and inhumane”.
In an interview with RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said denying food and water was indefensible, and labeled the blockade “a war crime”.
Mr Power also reported that 57 children had died due to malnutrition and described how some were searching through trash to find food, reports RTE.
He said aid workers are gravely alarmed by Israel’s expansion plans, pointing out that sending in more troops would only lead to more displacement in an already overcrowded area.
“The decision to send in more troops will exacerbate an already dire situation,” Mr Power said, reports RTE.
Since resuming its campaign on 18 March, Israel has stepped up airstrikes and broadened its ground assault in Gaza.
Israel maintains that the blockade and military pressure are necessary to push Hamas to release the hostages still held in the enclave, reports RTE.
Currently, 58 hostages taken during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack are still in captivity.
That assault resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official sources.
Israel’s response has so far killed at least 52,535 people in Gaza, most of whom were civilians, as reported by the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled region, reports RTE.
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