Israel’s military has said it has begun the first steps of an operation to take control of Gaza City, calling up tens of thousands of reservists as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed a new ceasefire proposal.
“We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the Israeli military spokesperson, told reporters.
Defrin said Hamas was now a “battered and bruised” guerrilla force, adding: “We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organization.”
A military official briefing journalists earlier said reserve soldiers would not report until September, giving mediators time to bridge gaps between Hamas and Israel over truce terms. But Netanyahu’s office later said he had accelerated plans for capturing Hamas strongholds after fresh clashes on Wednesday.
Hamas, in a statement on Telegram, accused the Israeli leader of deliberately obstructing a deal. “Netanyahu’s disregard for the mediators’ proposal … proves that he is the real obstructionist of any agreement,” it said.
The Israeli government has said all of the 50 remaining hostages must be released under any agreement. Officials believe only 20 are still alive. Hamas has accepted a proposal by Arab mediators for a 60-day ceasefire that would see the release of some hostages and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Netanyahu, approved a plan this month to expand the campaign in Gaza with the goal of seizing Gaza City. Israel currently holds about 75% of the territory.
The operation has drawn criticism from many of Israel’s allies, who warn that a full assault on the city would displace hundreds of thousands more Palestinians. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said it had received reports that neighbourhoods near Gaza’s only Catholic parish had already been issued evacuation notices.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right member of Netanyahu’s coalition, announced on Wednesday he had given final approval to a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank, saying it would erase any prospect of a Palestinian state.
The conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, Israel’s air and ground campaign has killed more than 62,000 people in Gaza, according to local health officials, who say most of the dead are women and children. Much of Gaza’s infrastructure, including homes, schools and mosques, has been destroyed.
Israeli forces clashed on Wednesday with more than 15 Hamas fighters who emerged from tunnel shafts near Khan Younis and attacked with gunfire and anti-tank missiles, wounding three Israeli soldiers, one severely. Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed it carried out the raid, saying one fighter blew himself up among Israeli troops during the battle.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, has said it is ready to release all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war. Israel insists the conflict will not end before Hamas disarms.
Polls show strong Israeli public support for ending the war if it secures the release of hostages. On Saturday, a huge crowd in Tel Aviv rallied to urge the government to accept such a deal.
Boluwatife Enome
Follow us on:
