Israel has announced plans to expand its offensive in the Gaza strip.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said that a new offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas.
In a Hebrew-language video message on X, addressing the Security Cabinet-approved plan to expand the Gaza offensive, Netanyahu said that that Gaza’s Palestinian population “will be moved, for its own protection.”
Netanyahu also said that Israeli soldiers would not go into Gaza, launch raids and then retreat. “The intention is the opposite of that,” he said.
His remarks come as Israel’s political and military leaders approved plans to expand the Gaza offensive and take over aid deliveries to the devastated and starving enclave.
Netanyahu’s cabinet unanimously approved plans to call up reservists and put the Israeli military in charge of food and other vital supplies to the 2.3 million people suffering under its blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Unnamed Israeli officials were reported as suggesting that the plans include the “conquest” and occupation of the entire Gaza Strip.
According to a source, the expanded offensive “could go as far as seizing the entire enclave and moving the Gaza population.”
The source added that Netanyahu “continues to promote” United States President Donald Trump’s plan for the voluntary departure of Palestinians from the enclave.
The plan also includes the possibility of Israel taking over the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The Israeli government has rejected claims from aid groups that famine is stalking the enclave, despite having blocked the entrance of all supplies on March 2 –16 days before it resumed its assault.
Citing an unnamed Israeli official, The Times of Israel said that the plan would involve “international organisations and private security contractors [handing] out boxes of food” to families in Gaza.
The outlet said that Israeli soldiers would provide “an outer layer of security for the private contractors and international organisations handing out the assistance.”
Israel reportedly plans to use US security contractors to control the flow of aid into Gaza.
The Israeli plans also envisage the establishment of a new “humanitarian zone” in southern Gaza that would work as a base for aid.
Captives In Peril
Netanyahu again asserted that the goal was to “defeat” Hamas and bring back several dozen captives held in Gaza.
However, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, said in a statement that the plan is “sacrificing” those still held in the Palestinian territory.
Army Chief Eyal Zamir reportedly warned that Israel could “lose” the captives in Gaza if it pushed ahead with a full-blown military offensive.
The Israeli leader also said that a “committee of inquiry” probing failures leading up to the October 7, 2023, attack should not be established until “after the war ends.” Netanyahu stated, “Afterward, we will examine this and we need to investigate the political echelon from the prime minister down. I demand this.”
In an interview with Israeli Army Radio, opposition leader Yair Lapid questioned Netanyahu’s decision to mobilise tens of thousands of reservists, saying the prime minister was calling up troops and extending their service without setting a goal for the operation.
Another opposition figure, Yair Golan, said that Netanyahu was only trying to save his government from collapsing as the plan “serves no security purpose and does not bring the release of the hostages closer.”
READ ALSO: MoMo Systems Are Safe and Secure: MoMo LTD Reassures Customers Amid Cybersecurity Rumours
