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Israel to give final approval of Gaza occupation plan as Hamas slams 'blatant disregard' for mediation - War on Gaza
The Israeli cabinet is expected on Thursday to give final approval to a plan to occupy Gaza City, Israeli media reported, as the army begins mobilizing some 60,000 reservists for the first stage of the operation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahusaid he has ordered a faster takeover of Gaza than originally planned.
His office stated that the timeline for "seizing Hamas's remaining strongholds" should be shortened, without providing further details.
Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has already approved the occupation plan, dubbing it " Operation Gideon's Chariots 2.'
Israeli radio reported that the call-up of the 60,000 reservists began on Wednesday, and they will join 70,000 soldiers and officers who had already been mobilized over the past two weeks as part of preparations for the offensive.
An Israeli army official told ABC News that the army is facing a shortage of between 10,000 and 12,000 soldiers, prompting appeals to Jewish abroad to help fill the gap.
The Israeli army announced earlier that its forces had begun operations on the outskirts of Gaza City. Army spokesperson told reporters that troops had launched 'initial steps' of the assault and already hold positions in the city's suburbs.
Gaza's Zaytoun neighborhood was also targeted by air and artillery strikes.
'Blatant disregard'
In this context, Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that the Israeli army's announcement of the start of 'Operation Gideon's Chariots 2' represents 'a continuation of the genocide that has been ongoing for more than 22 months' in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the group added that 'the new Israeli aggression shows disregard for the efforts of mediators seeking a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.'
The statement stressed that 'Netanyahu is ignoring the mediators' proposal,' proving that 'he is the one obstructing any agreement and is not serious about recovering his captives.'
Hamas affirmed that the Israeli assault 'will fail as previous ones have failed and will not achieve its objectives,' adding that 'the occupation of Gaza will not be a picnic.'
The group also held Israel and the U.S. administration fully responsible for the consequences of the assault and the destruction of essential infrastructure in Gaza.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also condemned the plan, saying Defense Minister Katz's approval demonstrates that Israel 'is blocking all prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza.' The group dismissed Israeli claims that Palestinian factions had accepted a Qatari-Egyptian proposal under military pressure, calling them 'lies.'
The resistance group stressed that 'all resistance factions will continue confronting the occupation and will not yield to military pressure or blackmail.'
It added that the only way for Israel to secure the release of its captives is 'to halt its aggression, lift the blockade, and agree to a prisoner exchange deal.'
Multiple rounds of indirect negotiations – mediated by Egypt and Qatar throughout the two-year Israeli war in Gaza – have failed to secure a lasting ceasefire amid the insistence by Israel, backed by Washington, on continuing the war.
On 19 March, Israel unilaterally ended a truce agreement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US in January, to resume its war on the strip.
Tel Aviv and Washington backed off from ceasefire talks in July, claiming that Hamas was not negotiating in good faith.
The new ceasefire plan, accepted by Hamas after fresh talks in Cairo, proposes an initial 60-day truce, a partial release of captives, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners, and provisions for the entry of humanitarian aid.
On Tuesday,Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that "the ball is now in Israel's court" after Hamas approval of the truce proposal.
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