Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he expects to complete a new offensive in Gaza “quite quickly,” while the UN Security Council heard new demands to end suffering at the Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu, speaking after his security office approved on Friday a much criticized plan to take control of the city of Gaza, said he has no choice but to “complete the work” and defeat Hamas to release the seized hostages of Israel.
He said the new offensive in Gaza aims to attack two remaining strongholds of Hamas, in what he said was his only option due to the refusal of the Palestinian group to testify his weapons. Hamas states that it will not be disarmed unless an independent Palestinian state is established.
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It was not clear when the offensive would begin, which would be the last of the successive attempts of the Israeli military to remove the militants from the city of Gaza.
“The schedule we have established for action is quite fast. We want, first of all, to allow the establishment of safe areas so that the civilian population of the city of Gaza can leave,” he added.
The city, which housed one million people before the two -year war, would be transferred to “safe areas,” he said. Palestinians claim that these zones have not protected them from Israeli fire in the past.
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The military chief of Israel expressed his opposition to the occupation of the entire range of Gaza and warned that the expansion of the offensive could endanger the life of the hosts that Hamas still maintains and leads his troops to a prolonged and deadly guerrilla war.
Netanyahu said his goal was not to occupy Gaza. “We want a security belt very close to our border, but we don’t want to stay in Gaza. This is not our goal,” he said.
European representatives in the United Nations said hunger is settling in Gaza and that Israel’s plan would only make the situation worse.
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“The expansion of military operations will only endanger the lives of all civilians in Gaza, including the remaining hostages, and will result in more unnecessary suffering,” said Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia and the United Kingdom in a joint statement.
“This is a man -made crisis and therefore urgent action is needed to end hunger and increase help in Gaza,” they said.
Malnutrition is widespread in the enclave because of what international aid agencies say it is a deliberate Israeli plan to restrict help. Israel rejects this claim, blaming Hamas for hunger among the Palestinians and saying that a lot of help was distributed.
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The US representative on the Security Council defended Netanhayu and said Washington is committed to meeting humanitarian needs, releasing hostages and achieving peace.
Netanyahu said Israel was working with Washington to create a wave of help for Gaza, even by land.
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Five more people, including two children, have died of malnutrition and hunger in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the Gaza Ministry of Health said, raising the number of deaths from these causes to 217, including 100 children.
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The Gaza Government Media Office, run by Hamas, said that 23 others have been killed so far in the war for air launches, to which the countries have resorted to the difficulties of road transport.
In the latter case, a parachute -launched assistance box killed a 14 -year -old boy who was waiting for food with other desperate Palestinians in a tent camp in downtown Gaza, according to doctors and videos checked by Reuters.
“We have repeatedly warned about the dangers of these inhuman methods and have consistently asked for safe and sufficient help through land passages, especially food, children’s formulas, medicines and medical supplies,” he said.
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Italy said Israel should pay attention to the warnings of its own army before sending more troops to Gaza, where the Israeli army already has much of the territory.
“Gaza’s invasion is in danger of turning into a Vietnam to Israeli soldiers,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview with Il Messaggero.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when militants led by Hamas invaded southern Israel, killed 1,200 people, and held 251 hostages. Israeli authorities say 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are alive.
Israel’s offensive has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to health officials, and left much of the territory in ruins.
