Israeli defense minister, Israel Katzthe Army ordered this Friday Intensify attacks y seize more territory in Gazawithout specifying which. He also threatened Hamás with the annexation From those areas to Israel if the Islamist group does not release the hostages: “The more he remains for his rejection, More territory will lose, which will be annexed to Israel“He said in a statement released by the Ministry.
“I have ordered the army to occupy additional areas in Gaza while evacuating the population, as well as expanding the security areas around Gaza to protect Israeli communities and soldiers of the Armed Forces,” Katz announced early in the morning. So far, Israel has ordered the Evacuation of the eastern neighborhoods of the city of Jan Yunisin the south of the strip, as well as the neighboring town of Beni Suheila. Also ordered the evacuation of Betititivein the north, where the troops launched a terrestrial operation.
Likewise, the Armed Forces partially occupied the Netzarim Corridorwith which Israel, and He called the northern population to evacuate south Through the rashid road, which crosses the parallel strip to the coast.
The “voluntary transfer” plan
The head of Defense assured that Israel will use all military and civil methods to press Hamas to free the 59 captives that continue in the strip “including evacuating the population of Gaza to the south and implementing the plan of Trump voluntary transfer“For residents of the Palestinian territory.
The “voluntary transfer” plan, which numerous international organizations and the Arab population have criticized as a plan of Ethnic cleaning of the Gazatiesalludes to a “voluntary” evacuation of its population, although it has been subjected for almost a year and a half to a war that has claimed the lives of close to 50,000 people and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Katz said again in the statement that Israel still bets on the proposal of the envoy of the White House in the Middle East, Steve Witkofffor the “Liberation of all the kidnappedthe living and the dead, in advance and in two stages with a high fire in the middle. “The proposal implies a Extension of the first phase of high the fire about 50 days, in which half of the hostages were released on the first day and, the other half, in the last.
Failed negotiations of the high fire
The First phase of Alto El Fuego It came to an end on March 2, the day in which the second phase should have begun, which implied the sustainable end of hostilities in Gaza and the release of the rest of the kidnapped in the Palestinian territory.
However, the negotiations of that second stage did not occur and the first concluded leaving Gaza in an ‘impasse’ until Israel definitely broke the high fire With one at dawn that killed hundreds of Palestinians. The Islamist group Hamas never accepted Witkoff’s proposal and claimed from the outset that the agreement was originally signed by going to the second phase.
