Netanyahu Signals Full Gaza Occupation
War Cabinet to Decide on Expanded Military Operations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly preparing to announce plans for the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip, a move that would extend military operations to all areas of the territory.
Campaign Expansion Under Review
Reports from Israeli media indicate that Netanyahu‘s war cabinet is poised to approve expanded military actions across the entire Gaza enclave. This includes sectors where Hamas is believed to be holding hostages.
“The decision has been made,” an unnamed senior official in Netanyahu’s office was quoted as saying. “Hamas won’t release more hostages without total surrender, and we won’t surrender. If we don’t act now, the hostages will starve to death and Gaza will remain under Hamas’s control.”
—Unnamed Senior Official, Quoted by Amit Sega, Channel 12 Chief Political Analyst
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strong condemnation, urging international intervention to avert the reported plans, regardless of their intended purpose.
Mounting Domestic and International Pressure
The upcoming war cabinet meeting follows intense global pressure for increased humanitarian aid and a cessation of hostilities amidst a rising Palestinian death toll from both malnutrition and Israeli strikes. On Monday alone, medical sources in Gaza reported 74 Palestinian fatalities, including 36 individuals seeking aid.
Domestically, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure the release of remaining hostages. This sentiment has been amplified by the recent release of footage showing hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David appearing severely emaciated.
During a cabinet meeting on Monday, Netanyahu reiterated his administration’s war objectives: the eradication of Hamas and the liberation of all hostages. He stated, “We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives: the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
The international community must act urgently to prevent Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza. Civilians in Gaza continue to suffer immensely. @UN @UNHumanRights pic.twitter.com/abcdefghij
— Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@Palestine_MFA) December 25, 2023
Hamas Response and Casualty Figures
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan criticized the United States and other Western nations for allegedly overlooking Israeli actions. He attributed full responsibility for the hostages’ lives to Netanyahu‘s government, citing its “stubbornness, arrogance, and evasion of reaching a ceasefire agreement, and the escalation of the war of extermination and starvation against our people.”
Gaza health authorities report that since October 2023, over 60,930 Palestinians have been killed, with at least 18,430 of them being children. Israeli authorities state that 49 captives remain with Hamas, including 27 believed to be deceased.
