Latest news with #OperationGideonsChariot
CBS News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Israeli military says 60,000 reservists called up for next phase of Gaza war
The Israeli military said it had called up an additional 60,000 reservists and extended the service of 20,000 "as part of the next phase of 'Operation Gideon's Chariot'" - the name of Israel's military operation in Gaza. Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City, possibly in the coming days, even as negotiators scramble to bring Israel and Hamas to a ceasefire after 22 months of fighting. It comes as human rights groups warn that a humanitarian crisis could worsen in Gaza, where most residents have been displaced, vast neighborhoods lie in ruins and communities are facing the threat of famine. An Israeli military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said the Israel Defense Forces will be operating in parts of Gaza City where they have not yet operated and where they believe Hamas is still active. The official said Israeli troops are already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabaliya neighborhoods of Gaza City to prepare the groundwork for the expanded operation, which is expected to receive approval from the chief of staff in the coming days. The IDF regards Gaza City as Hamas' main military and governing stronghold and Israeli troops will again be targeting Hamas' vast underground tunnel network, the official added. Although Israel has targeted and killed much of Hamas' senior leadership, parts of the militant group are actively regrouping and carrying out attacks, including launching rockets toward Israel, the official said. It remains unclear when the operation will begin, but it could be a matter of days. The official said the operation was expected to last between four to six months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently said the objective of the war is to secure the release of the remaining hostages and ensure Hamas and other militants can never again threaten Israel. The planned offensive, first announced earlier this month, has heightened international condemnation of Israel and fueled fears that it will lead to another mass displacement of Palestinians. Netanyahu said on Aug. 9 that it would span parts of Gaza City and the central camps [or for newly displaced people. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in the city and it holds some of the last remnants of critical infrastructure. AP journalists saw small groups heading south from the city this week, but how many will voluntarily flee remains unclear. Some said they were waiting to see how events unfold before moving yet again, and many insist nowhere is safe from airstrikes. The Israeli call-up comes as a growing campaign of exhausted reservists is accusing the government of perpetuating the war for political reasons and failing to bring home the remaining hostages. The families of the hostages and former army and intelligence chiefs have also expressed opposition to the expanded operation in Gaza City. Most of the families of the hostages want an immediate ceasefire and worry an expanded assault could imperil the return home of the 50 hostages still in Gaza. Israel believes 20 are still alive. The former chiefs are skeptical the goal of completely destroying Hamas is attainable. The former head of Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, Yoram Cohen called it a "fantasy," saying that "if anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon, and in parallel bring our hostages home - I think it is impossible." The war began when Hamas carried out a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Mediators and Hamas both said this week that Hamas leaders had agreed to cease-fire terms, though similar announcements have been made in the past that did not lead to ceasefires. An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media said Israel is in constant contact with the mediators in an effort to secure the release of the hostages. Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will oppose a deal that doesn't include the "complete defeat of Hamas." More than 62,000 people have been killed during Israel's 22-month offensive, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Monday. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The ministry does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half of them.
LBCI
03-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel pushes deeper into Gaza with new military plan, eyes hostage deal
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Akram Chehayeb Israel has launched a new military operation in Gaza, described as more intense than the previous campaign, 'Operation Gideon's Chariot.' The operation is expected to proceed swiftly, ahead of any potential prisoner exchange or ceasefire agreement. The primary objective of the operation is to take control of Beit Hanoun. According to Israel, it has only achieved 50 percent of its targets there so far, whether in terms of destroying tunnels or eliminating Hamas members. The second is to take control of Gaza City, where the capacity to produce improvised explosive devices still exists and where two Hamas brigades are still active. To carry out the operation, the Israeli army has brought five military divisions into the Gaza Strip, and officials emphasize that there will be no compromise on the return of hostages and the destruction of Hamas there. These accelerated steps came after Hamas expressed satisfaction with the U.S. clarifications regarding guarantees to end the war, bringing the deal closer than ever before. The deal is expected to be announced on Monday, during the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The deal includes the release of ten living hostages in five stages, during a sixty-day ceasefire, the handover of eighteen bodies of Israeli captives, and a ban on holding captive release celebrations, which Hamas has organized after every previous deal. This deal is the first stage, during which the parties seek to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement. Israel, which seeks to exit Gaza having achieved a central objective, has laid out a plan for intense combat and is also relying on informants. According to an Israeli report, two new militias have been revealed in the Gaza Strip, whose members receive support with weapons and humanitarian aid from Israel and salaries from the Palestinian Authority. The two militias have joined the ranks of the Yasser Abu Shabab militia, which Israel had used as a covert tool in Gaza. The group caused chaos in the Strip, seized control of aid distribution, and incited protests against Hamas. Hamas is now giving Abu Shabab a deadline to turn himself into the judiciary on charges of treason, espionage for foreign entities, forming an armed cell, and armed rebellion.
Al Bawaba
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Israel to permit very limited quantity of food into Gaza
JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL - Israel announced Sunday that it will allow a very limited quantity of food supplies into the Gaza Strip, claiming the move is meant to prevent a famine in the enclave. Israel 'will permit the entry of a basic quantity of food for the population to prevent the emergence of a hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement. It added that a famine 'could jeopardize the continuation of Operation Gideon's Chariot,' referring to a new phase of Israel's ground offensive in northern and southern Gaza. The decision was based on 'a recommendation from the Israeli military and due to operational needs to enable expanded intensive fighting to defeat Hamas.' Israel's public broadcaster KAN, citing an unnamed Israeli official, said the measure is temporary and expected to last roughly one week, pending the full establishment of aid distribution centers -- mostly in southern Gaza and reportedly supervised by the Israeli military and run by American contractors. Israel and the US are promoting two aid distribution plans, amid Israeli acknowledgment that their actual goal is to depopulate northern Gaza by turning the southern city of Rafah into the primary hub for humanitarian relief and drawing aid seekers there. Earlier Sunday, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth daily cited unnamed official sources saying that Netanyahu had informed members of the security cabinet of his decision to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The report said several ministers, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, opposed the move and demanded a vote on the decision -- a request that Netanyahu reportedly rejected. The forthcoming move contradicts Netanyahu's previous statements, where he claimed that the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander by Hamas last Monday as part of an agreement with the US was unconditional. However, Hamas said the release was part of broader 'understandings' that included aid delivery, as they had previously announced. On Thursday, Hamas warned that failure to implement the agreements with the US regarding aid entry and a ceasefire will negatively impact 'any efforts to complete negotiations on the prisoner exchange process.' In a statement, the group emphasized its commitment to alleviating the suffering of Palestinians by ending the Israeli aggression and opening border crossings for humanitarian aid. The group said the positive step of releasing Alexander was a reflection of this. 'We expect, based on the understandings reached with the American side, and with the knowledge of the mediators, that humanitarian aid will begin entering the Gaza Strip immediately, a call will be made for a permanent ceasefire, and comprehensive negotiations will be held on all issues to achieve security and stability in the region, which is what we look forward to achieving,' the statement added. Indirect negotiations are currently underway in the Qatari capital Doha between Hamas and Israel, aiming to end the genocide and finalize a prisoner exchange agreement. Gaza continues to face severe famine conditions, driven by a deliberate starvation policy enforced by Israel through months-long border closures and restrictions on humanitarian aid. Israel has kept all crossings into Gaza closed to food, medical and humanitarian aid since March 2, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights and international reports. Nearly 2.4 million people in the enclave live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data. The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Israel says it will allow 'basic' amounts of food into Gaza as military offensive intensifies
Israel says it has five divisions operating inside Gaza , Israeli tanks seen near the Gaza border on Sunday As we've been reporting, Israel launched "extensive ground operations" in Gaza over the weekend, as part of what it calls Operation Gideon's Chariot. The military said on Sunday there were five divisions operating in the Gaza Strip, aiming for "complete control" in "the places where we operate". It said it was moving the population from areas of fighting. Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued overnight, where hospitals say more than 100 people were killed in the past day. Sites targeted included the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, the southern city of Khan Younis, and the Jabalia refugee camp. The Israeli military said on Sunday "the only thing that will stop us is returning the hostages home". There are 58 hostages in Gaza, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
All hospitals in north Gaza out of service, says health ministry
All three public hospitals in north Gaza have been put "out of service", the Hamas-run health ministry has said, as Israel continues its offensive to seize areas of the ministry said on Sunday Israeli forces had besieged the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, "with heavy fire... preventing the arrival of patients, medical staff, and supplies". The hospital was the last in the north to be operating, it military on Saturday announced the launch of "Operation Gideon's Chariot", amid the deadliest wave of strikes in Gaza in months. Hamas offered to release nine hostages in exchange for a 60-day truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners, a Palestinian official told the BBC after new negotiations were held on Saturday. The health ministry said on Sunday: "After the destruction of Beit Hanoun Hospital and Kamal Adwan Hospital, and the Indonesian Hospital being put out of service, all public hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are now out of service."
