Israel approves Gaza City invasion despite ceasefire talks with Hamas
Israel convened a council of war on Tuesday night to approve an operation named Gideon's Chariots II despite discussion of a ceasefire with Hamas. Katz authorised the call-up of about 60,000 reservists to carry out the takeover, his ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
Hamas has accepted a deal for a 60-day ceasefire to release half the living hostages alongside provisions to negotiate a permanent end to the war, seemingly under threat of a full occupation and heavy pressure from mediators including Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. It had previously rejected the proposal.
Israel is insisting that Hamas release all the hostages at once. However, Hebrew-language media reports suggest that it has not outright rejected the 60-day proposal, which is based on the American formula put forward by Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy.
Before a premeditated move into Gaza City — the last area in the Palestinian territory to be occupied by the Israeli military — earlier this month, Israel outlined five goals of the war that included a comprehensive deal for all the hostages.
Israel had accepted a deal, reported to be based on the same provisions Hamas has now accepted, in July. It is expected to give an official response this week.
Binyamin Netanyahu, the country's prime minister, who said on Monday that it was clear Hamas was under 'immense pressure', appears to be maintaining ambiguity after his hardline coalition partners, who are pushing for a total takeover of Gaza, threatened to leave the government should Israel make the deal.
Meanwhile, families of the hostages held by Hamas have led efforts to mobilise the public to pressure the government to end the war, including calling for a nationwide strike scheduled next Sunday, in the second such strike.
On Tuesday evening, Israel announced the death of Jihad Kamal Salem Najjar, described by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as a member of Hamas's military wing who took part in the kidnapping of Yarden Bibas from the Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel.
Bibas, the father of two red-headed children who were murdered in Hamas captivity along with his wife, Shiri, said a small part of his closure had taken place.
'A small part of my closure happened today. Thank you to the IDF, the Shin Bet, and everyone who took part in the elimination of one of the terrorists who kidnapped me on October 7,' he said in a statement. 'Thanks to you, he will not be able to harm anyone else. Please take care of yourselves, heroes.'
Bibas called for 'full closure' in the return of the 48 hostages, including friends from his kibbutz, which was so heavily damaged on October 7 that its residents have not yet returned.
In France, President Macron described accusations levelled by Netanyahu — accusing the French president of fuelling antisemitism — as 'abject' and 'erroneous'. Adding to a long-running feud between the two leaders, Macron's office said that France 'protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens', adding that a letter from Netanyahu containing his allegation 'will not go unanswered'.
On Monday Netanyahu addressed reports Hamas had accepted a ceasefire deal in a video statement saying: 'You can get the impression of one thing — that Hamas is under immense pressure.' He appeared undeterred with his plans to expand Israel's operation in Gaza, adding that earlier in the day he had met the military's top brass to discuss the takeover of Gaza City and 'the completion of our missions'.
• Netanyahu says Gaza takeover 'best way' forward as anger grows at home
The latest deal proposed by mediators requires the Palestinian militant group to release ten living hostages and 18 dead hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel. In return, Israel would withdraw its troops from north and central Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid to be delivered via the United Nations and the Red Crescent.
Egypt has taken a more prominent role in the talks in Cairo than in previous rounds, which were held in Qatar using American-backed proposals. The Egyptian government is said to be more focused on the logistical aspects of the truce, which is said to include a phased ceasefire with the eventual withdrawal of Israeli troops to a security border.
Negotiations to secure even a temporary truce in the 22-month war have gathered pace since Netanyahu declared that the IDF would soon move to occupy Gaza City and most of the remaining territory, in an attempt to finally eradicate Hamas.
Katz said that for the first time in weeks Hamas was 'willing to discuss a deal for the release of hostages, only because of its fear that we seriously intend to conquer Gaza City'.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the head of the IDF, presented the military's 'plan for the next stage of the war' on Sunday after visiting troops in Gaza. According to sources, the plan avoids moving troops inside the central refugee camps, where the hostages are thought to be held, but prepares for a 'long-term' seizure of the city that would further entrench Israel's occupation.
Now that Katz and the wider security cabinet have signed off on the plan, the army is set to issue evacuation orders to residents via leaflets, statements and social media instructing residents to leave block by block and head south.
Inside Gaza City, thousands of Palestinians have already fled the southern Zeitoun neighbourhood after relentless and intensified Israeli bombardment. Residents gathered on Monday to protest against the displacement in Zeitoun, with signs promising not to 'relinquish the north [of Gaza]', and 'we will not leave Gaza City'.
The Palestinian Red Crescent, part of the Red Cross movement and the main provider of healthcare and emergency medical services in Gaza, has also said it would not leave, despite an order to evacuate the al-Quds hospital in Gaza City.
A large-scale demonstration against the proposed offensive was also held in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Many Israelis believe the army's entry into Gaza City endangers the remaining hostages and will pull Israeli soldiers into a heavily booby-trapped urban area where they will be vulnerable to guerrilla warfare tactics.
The UN has condemned the plan and the forced displacement of a million Gazans, while several countries including the UK, France and Canada have moved to recognise a Palestinian state should Israel and Hamas fail to agree to a ceasefire. In response, Israel has threatened to close the French consulate in Jerusalem.
Israel says it has full US backing for its war in Gaza. On Monday President Trump said that the remaining hostages would only be released 'when Hamas is confronted and destroyed'. Writing on his Truth Social site, he added: 'The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.'
Nearly 62,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, since the group started the war by killing 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023 and taking more than 200 hostages.
The Israeli military has largely relied on reservists to fight the war and its ranks are now fatigued and depleted after almost two years of fighting. Ultra-orthodox Jews have refused to enlist, putting a heavy strain on the present reservists amid a shortage of soldiers.
According to a report on Israeli Army Radio, the military is now seeking to recruit soldiers from Jewish communities abroad, in particular in America and France.
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