Gaza City will be destroyed if Hamas does not agree to disarm and release all hostages, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has warned.
The minister’s comments came after the Israeli cabinet approved plans for a massive assault on Gaza City, despite widespread international and domestic opposition.
Earlier in the week, Hamas agreed to a proposal by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire, which, according to Qatar, would see the release of half of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, said he had instructed negotiations to begin for the release of all remaining hostages and an end to the war in Gaza on terms “acceptable to Israel.”
Israel believes that only 20 of the 50 Israelis whom Hamas took hostage are still alive after 22 months of war.
During a visit to Gaza recently, Mr. Netanyahu said, “I have come to approve the IDF’s (Israel Defence Forces) plans to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas.”
He also announced Israel’s intention to take control of the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.
Meanwhile, the IDF has warned medical officials and international organisations to prepare for the planned evacuation of Gaza City’s entire population of one million residents to shelters in the south before troops move in.
At least 62,192 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel.
There are fears that the new military campaign by Israel in Gaza City will deepen the humanitarian crisis. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said last month that the “worst-case scenario of famine” was “playing out in Gaza.”
