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Asharq Al-Awsat
27 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Army Says War Plan ‘Focusing' on Gaza City
The Israeli army's chief of staff said Sunday the military was pressing ahead with plans for the next phase of its Gaza offensive, with a focus on Gaza City. "Today we are approving the plan for the next phase of the war," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said during a field visit to the Palestinian territory, according to an army statement. "We will maintain the momentum of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' while focusing on Gaza City. We will continue to strike until the decisive defeat of Hamas," he said. The large-scale operation in Gaza, dubbed "Gideon's Chariots" by the Israeli army, began in mid-May. "We will continue to strike until the decisive defeat of Hamas, with the hostages always at the forefront of our minds," Zamir added. In response Hamas said the plans would result in "a new wave of extermination and mass displacement". The Palestinian group also condemned the proposals a "a major war crime" which it said reflected Israel's "disregard for international and humanitarian law". Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his plan, approved by his security cabinet, for a new phase of operations in Gaza. Israel has said it is preparing to take control of Gaza City and neighboring refugee camps with the stated aim of defeating Hamas and freeing the hostages kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the 22-month war. Zamir said Israel's ongoing offensive had "achieved its objectives", that "Hamas no longer possesses the same capabilities", and the military had dealt the Palestinian group a "severe blow". "The current campaign is not a pinpoint one; it is just another layer in a long-term and planned strategy," he added. On Friday, the army said its troops were conducting a series of operations on the outskirts of Gaza City, where residents have been reporting intense strikes and ground incursions for days. Israel on Saturday said it was preparing "to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection". Hamas said Israel's statements on this, including its plans for the installation of tents in southern Gaza, were "a blatant deception to cover up the imminent massacre and forced displacement". Israel's army radio reported on Sunday residents would be evacuated before troops encircle the Gaza City and finally seize it, beginning "in the coming weeks". Tens of thousands of reservist soldiers would be called up for the mission, the report added. Another 17 aid-seekers killed in Gaza Hospitals and witnesses in Gaza said Israeli forces killed at least 17 aid-seekers on Sunday, including nine awaiting UN aid trucks close to the Morag corridor. Hamza Asfour said he was just north of the corridor awaiting a convoy when Israeli snipers fired, first to disperse the crowds, then from tanks hundreds of meters (yards) away. He saw two people with gunshot wounds. 'It's either to take this risk or wait and see my family die of starvation,' he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the Israeli-backed and US-supported distribution points that have become the main source of aid since they opened in May, said there was no gunfire 'at or near' its sites, which are located in military-controlled areas. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions. Israel's air and ground war has displaced most of Gaza's population and killed more than 61,900 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. Two children and five adults died of malnutrition-related causes Sunday, according to the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Most aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after ending a ceasefire. Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organizations say the flow is far below what is needed.
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Gaza civil defense says Israeli attacks kill 18
Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 18 Palestinians on Sunday, including seven people shot dead while waiting to collect food aid. Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that seven people were killed in an Israeli drone strike that hit a hospital courtyard in Gaza City, in the territory's north. Witnesses said the victims were members of a Hamas unit, which a source from the Palestinian militant group described as responsible for distributing aid and 'fighting thieves.' There was no comment from the Israeli military, which is preparing a broader offensive in Gaza City and has sent ground forces to the city's Zeitun neighborhood in recent days. After more than 22 months of war, UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in Gaza, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in and convoys have been repeatedly looted. Witnesses on Sunday reported Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into the morning. Bassal said four people were killed in a strike that hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the southern area of Khan Younis. The civil defense spokesman said Israel continues its intense bombardment of Gaza City's Zeitun, where troops have carried out a ground operation for the past week. He said there were many casualties, but civil defence crews were facing 'enormous difficulties reaching those trapped under the rubble' due to the ongoing violence and lack of equipment. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swaths of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. Israel on Saturday hinted at an approaching call to push civilians from Gaza City ahead of the new offensive demanded by the security cabinet. A defense ministry statement said that 'as part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume.' Hamas later slammed the move, saying the announcement was part of a 'brutal assault to occupy Gaza City.' On the ground on Sunday, Bassal said six people were killed by Israeli gunfire near an aid distribution point in the south. Another person was killed near an aid site in central Gaza, Bassal added, with a nearby hospital saying the body had been taken there. The war was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,897 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable.
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Hamas rejects Israel's Gaza relocation plan
Hamas said on Sunday that Israel's planned Gaza relocation plan by Israel constitutes a 'new wave of genocide and displacement' for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.
