UN’s Secretary-General, António Guterres is “alarmed” by Israeli plans to expand military operations in Gaza and seek the “conquest” of the territory.
UN spokesperson, Farhan Haq stated, “This will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza.”
Haq added that Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that its planned expanded offensive in Gaza includes a “wide-scale attack” and “moving the majority of the population” of the Palestinian territory.
A statement from IDF spokesperson, Effie Defrin, reported by the Times of Israel, said, that the goal of the operation is the return of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas’s rule. “These two goals are combined with each other,” he added.
“The offensive will include a wide-scale attack and the movement of the majority of the strip’s population, this is to protect them in an area sterile of Hamas and continued airstrikes, elimination of terrorists, and dismantling of infrastructure.”
Effie Defrin
Israel’s plan to expand its military operation in Gaza was unanimously approved at a security cabinet meeting late on Sunday.
Officials have said it would involved a new and intense offensive leading to “the conquest of Gaza and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection [and] … powerful blows against Hamas”, going beyond any aims so far outlined by Israel for its offensive in Gaza.
The announcement of Israel’s plan to launch imminently a new, expanded offensive in Gaza and to retain the territory it seized is a significant moment, at least in terms of public rhetoric.
Throughout the nearly 19-month war, Israeli troops have carried out large and frequently bloody operations that have covered all except central parts of Gaza, but they have largely restricted their permanent presence to a buffer zone about 1km deep along the devastated territory’s perimeter and two relatively narrow east-west corridors.
This now seems to have changed. Once “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” is under way, Israel will send its troops across much – if not all – of Gaza and will seek to establish a “sustained presence” there, Israel officials said.
US To Help Gaza Get Some Food
Meanwhile, Donald Trump said that the US will “help the people of Gaza get some food” as he blamed Hamas for having treated them “very badly.”
Asked about Israeli plans for an expanded offensive in Gaza, Trump did not offer his views on Israel’s operations.
Instead, he said, “Hamas is making it impossible, because they’re taking everything that’s brought in.” He added, “But we’re going to help the people of Gaza because they’re being treated very badly by Hamas.”
Separately, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused Benjamin Netanyahu of “directly meddling” with the US government to “drag it into another disaster” in the Middle East region.
Araghchi wrote in a post on X that the Israeli leader is attempting to “brazenly dictate what President [Donald] Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran.”
Iran’s top diplomat warned against any attempt to attack Iran.
His comments came after Netanyahu blamed Tehran after the Iran-backed Houthi group claimed a missile strike near Israel’s main airport on Sunday. Iran denied any role in the attack.
It also comes after the latest round of nuclear talks with the US, which were scheduled for 3 May, were delayed with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons.”
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