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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Israel begins Gaza City takeover
Sabra Lane: Israel will call up tens of thousands of extra reservists as it prepares to conquer Gaza City. Israeli military says the first stage of its plan is underway with IDF troops in place on the city's outskirts. Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold and also one of the last places of refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians already displaced in the almost two year long war. Bridget Fitzgerald prepared this report. Bridget Fitzgerald: In Khan Younis in southern Gaza, lines of makeshift tents stretch out as far as the eye can see. It's here, under a canopy of fabric held together by rope and tape with just a dirt floor, that Ibrahim Tabassi and his family have been forced to live. Ibrahim Tabassi: We used to be in our homes, comfortable by God's grace, but in the tent you can't bear it. We're ten people. You can see it for yourself. There's no proper bathroom, not even a decent place to sit. We end up sitting in the street, suffocating in the heat. Bridget Fitzgerald: The United Nations says at least 1.9 million people, or around 90% of the population across the Gaza Strip, have been displaced during the war, sometimes ten times or more. As of Monday, Gaza's health ministry says more than 62,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its offensive almost two years ago. The region's now preparing for a further escalation, the mass deployment of Israeli troops on the ground in an attempt to capture Gaza City in the north. The IDF has confirmed an extra 60,000 reservists will be called up and the service of an additional 20,000 reservists will be extended. Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin says the IDF has taken its first steps in the operation, deploying IDF troops to the city's outskirts. Effie Defrin: We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organisation. We will intensify the strikes on the terror infrastructure above and below ground and sever the population's dependence on Hamas. Bridget Fitzgerald: IDF officials say the extra reservists won't report for duty until September, while Israel considers the latest proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, which has already been agreed to by Arab mediators and Hamas. Israel's Gaza City offensive has faced international condemnation, with humanitarian groups warning of further mass displacement. Israel has also faced nationwide protests in recent days, with demonstrators demanding an end to the war and the return of hostages. It comes as countries including Australia, Canada and France have announced their intention to recognise a Palestinian state. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says such calls are counterproductive for peace. Mike Huckabee: If they believe that unilaterally calling for a two-state, a Palestinian state recognition immediately brings them closer, the sad truth is it's taking them further away. Bridget Fitzgerald: Meanwhile, a widely condemned Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land Palestinians are seeking for a state will go ahead. According to a statement from Israeli Finance Minister, the right-wing ultra-nationalist Bezalel Smotrich, the E1 project that cuts the occupied West Bank off from East Jerusalem was granted final approval on Wednesday. Sabra Lane: Bridget Fitzgerald there.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Israel military approves plan to call in 60,000 reservists in next phase of war
Israel's defence minister has made his next major move in a bid to take over Gaza City, authorising the call-up of 60,000 reservists. Military spokesman Effie Defrin on Wednesday (local time) said in a video that its army is moving into 'the next phase of the war' — a phase it called Operation Gideon's Chariots. He flagged 'preliminary actions' have already started under Defence Minister Israel Katz, with thousands of troops holding the outskirts of the war-torn city. An official later said the drafting of reservists begins in September. The latest update will add further pressure on Hamas, with mediators still trying to get a response from Israel after the terror group accepted a 60-day truce plan. While mediator Qatar had expressed guarded optimism over the latest proposal, a senior Israeli official said the government will stand firm on its call for the release of all remaining hostages, dead and alive, in any agreement. The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an initial two month ceasefire, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza where millions remain displaced and hungry. Mr Defrin claimed the terror group was a 'battered and bruised guerrilla organisation after the 22-month long conflict with Israel. 'We will deepen the damage to Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organisation,' he said. On the ground in Gaza City on Wednesday, Mustafa Qazzaat, head of the emergency committee in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as 'catastrophic', with 'large numbers' fleeing eastern neighbourhoods. One resident, Anis Daloul, 64, said the Israeli military had 'destroyed most of the buildings in Zeitoun and displaced thousands of people'. Israel's security cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the plan to conquer Gaza City in early August, sparking fears it would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the enclave. He said the goal of the operation would be to secure the release of all remaining captives and to ensure Hamas does not threaten Israel in future. According to Israeli media reports, Mr Netanyahu has not yet called a security cabinet meeting to discuss any response to the latest truce proposal. His office said in a statement Wednesday that the premier 'has directed that the timetables for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas be shortened', without indicating a specific time frame. The war started in October 2023 when Hamas militants stormed Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking hostage 251 people. It triggered a wide-scale conflict between Israel and Gaza where some 62,000 people have died from repeated bombing - and most recently, starvation from a lack of aid being let in. 'Permanent war' Mr Netanyahu has come under growing pressure at home and abroad to end the war, with the German government saying on Wednesday that it 'rejects the escalation' of Israel's campaign. French President Emmanuel Macron said the offensive 'can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples', warning it would 'drag the region into a permanent war'. Mr Katz's approval of plans to conquer Gaza City came days after Hamas said it had accepted the latest proposal from mediators for a ceasefire to halt almost two years of devastating war. Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP on Wednesday that the proposal envisages the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza. The remaining captives would be released in a second exchange within the 60-day period, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place, the sources said. Israel and Hamas have held on-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Qatar, one of the mediators in the talks, said the latest proposal was 'almost identical' to an earlier version agreed by Israel. Mr Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the truce plan but said last week that his country would accept 'an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war'. 'Gradual operation' An Israeli military official told journalists on Wednesday that the new phase of combat would involve 'a gradual precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City', including some areas where forces had not previously operated. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes and fire killed at least 25 people across the territory on Wednesday. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military asked for coordinates and specific time frames to comment on the reports but said it would look into reports of eight people killed by Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of Gaza. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. The Israeli military said it killed 10 Hamas militants in southern Gaza on Wednesday while repelling an attack by the armed wing of the Islamist group, which claimed it killed several Israeli soldiers. In the West Bank, Israel on Wednesday approved a major settlement project in an area that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Calls for Commonwealth housing fund to dedicate half to regional
The federal government is being urged to dedicate almost half its national housing target to regional Australia.
