Israel military says it's approved plan for new Gaza offensive
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had approved the framework for a new offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Hamas condemned what it called 'aggressive' Israeli ground incursions in Gaza City.
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The approval for the expanded offensive comes days after Israel's security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza's largest city, following 22 months of war that have created dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory.
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Israeli armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir 'approved the main framework for the IDF's operational plan in the Gaza Strip,' a statement released by the army said.
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Prime Benjamin Minister Netanyahu's government has not provided a precise timetable for when Israeli troops will enter Gaza City, where thousands have taken refuge after fleeing previous offensives.
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Ismail Al-Thawabta, director general of the Hamas government media office in Gaza, told AFP on Wednesday that 'the Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out aggressive incursions in Gaza City.'
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'These assaults represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground by force, through a scorched-earth policy and the complete destruction of civilian property,' he added.
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Sabah Fatoum, 51, who lives in a tent in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City told AFP by phone that 'the explosions are massive' in the area.
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There are 'many air strikes and tanks are advancing in the southern area of Tal al-Hawa with drones above our heads,' she said.
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'The tanks are still there, and I saw dozens of civilians fleeing' to the west of the city, she added.
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Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in recent days, with the residential neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Sabra hit 'with very heavy air strikes targeting civilian homes, possibly including high-rise buildings'.
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Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Israeli strikes or fire had killed at least 35 people across Gaza on Wednesday.
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'Just escaped death'
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AFP footage from Gaza City on Tuesday showed Palestinians fleeing Israeli strikes on the Zeitoun and Asqoola using overladen carts, vans and bikes.
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