PM Netanyahu approves Gaza City takeover and plans renewed talks with Hamas to secure hostage return and end war on Israel’s terms.
After Netanyahu gives his final consent in a meeting with top security officials later Thursday, the massive operation in Gaza City could begin in a matter of days. Earlier this week, Hamas declared that it had accepted a truce proposal from Arab mediators, which, if Israel accepts, may stop the onslaught.
Ahead of the enlarged operation, the Israeli military has started phoning humanitarian organizations and medical authorities in the northern Gaza Strip to urge them to flee to the south.
The military intends to extend the service of 20,000 more reservists and call up 60,000 more.
Meanwhile, local hospitals in Gaza report that at least 36 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks on Thursday.
Netanyahu declared he would support the army's preparations to retake Gaza City while visiting the military's Gaza command in southern Israel. He also gave officials instructions "to begin immediate negotiations on the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel."
“These two things — defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages — go hand in hand,”
he said.
It seems to be Israel's first public reaction to the most recent ceasefire proposal drafted by Qatar and Egypt, which Hamas and Egyptian officials claim is nearly the same as one that Israel had previously agreed to before the negotiations broke down last month.
The plan calls for negotiations for a longer-term truce, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of some of the captives in return for Palestinians detained by Israel.
It seems to be Israel's first public reaction to the most recent ceasefire proposal drafted by Qatar and Egypt, which Hamas and Egyptian officials claim is nearly the same as one that Israel had previously agreed to before the negotiations broke down last month.
The plan calls for negotiations for a longer-term truce, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of some of the captives in return for Palestinians detained by Israel.
In the meantime, Israeli forces have already started smaller-scale operations in the crowded Jabaliya refugee camp and the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, where they have conducted multiple large-scale raids throughout the conflict only to watch terrorists later reorganize.
Hundreds gathered for a rare protest in Gaza City on Thursday against the war and Israel’s plans to support the mass relocation of Palestinians to other countries.
Women and children held placards reading “Save Gaza” and “Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us,” against a backdrop of destroyed buildings as Palestinian music played. Unlike in previous protests, there were no expressions of opposition to Hamas.
“We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don’t want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it’s enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,”
said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City.
In Israel, families of some of the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza gathered in Tel Aviv to condemn the expanded operation. Israel believes around 20 hostages are still alive.
“Forty-two hostages were kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity due to military pressure and delay in signing a deal,”
said Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law, Eitan Horn, is still being held captive. Eitan’s brother, Iair Horn, was released during a ceasefire earlier this year.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the war has claimed the lives of at least 62,192 Palestinians. According to the Health Ministry, two more persons have passed away from malnutrition-related reasons, increasing the total to 271, including 112 youngsters.
The ministry employs medical experts and is a part of the Hamas-run government. It states that about half of those killed by Israeli fire are women and children, although it does not specify if they are combatants or civilians. Its estimates are regarded by the United Nations and other independent experts as the most accurate estimate of wartime casualties. Israel has not given its own toll, but it contests it.
The battle began on October 7, 2023, when militants led by Hamas assaulted Israel, killing about 1,200 people.
What are the main risks of Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City for hostages and civilians?
The military operation increases the danger to the estimated 20 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Hostage families and international observers fear their lives will be jeopardized amid heavy fighting.
Around one million residents of Gaza City face forced evacuation and displacement to already overcrowded southern Gaza, worsening a dire humanitarian crisis. The ground offensive will likely cause extensive casualties among civilians trapped in combat zones, as well as vast destruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services.
The siege and bombardment impede delivery of food, water, medical aid, and shelter, deepening hunger, disease risks, and medical shortages.