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Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed his plan to take over Gaza City is the ‘best way to end the war’ in the Middle East.
The plan, which has been broadly condemned by many of Israel’s allies, aims to take the entire Gaza Strip under the control of Netanyahu’s government.
He said that while Israel currently controls around 75% of the enclave, there are two ‘remaining strongholds’ where he claimed Hamas militants are – Gaza City in the north and the ‘central camps.’
Despite his military’s actions that have led to it taking a large proportion of the Strip, he asserted that ‘our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza’ on a ‘fairly short timeline.’
The goals there, he said, include demilitarising Gaza, the Israeli military having ‘overriding security control’ there and a non-Israeli civilian administration in charge.
He also said he plans to establish a ‘security zone’ on Gaza’s border ‘to prevent future terrorist incursions’, referencing Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7 2023.
The prime minister also said he had directed Israel’s military in recent days to ‘bring in more foreign journalists’ – which would be a striking development as they have not been allowed into Gaza beyond military embeds.
Netanyahu again blamed many of Gaza’s problems on the Hamas militant group, including civilian deaths, destruction and shortages of aid.
He said: ‘Since the beginning of the war, Israel has let in close to two million tonnes of aid.
‘I know of no other army that has enabled such aid to go to the civilian population in enemy territory.
‘Now, if we had a starvation policy no one in Gaza would have survived after two years of war. But our policy has been the exact opposite.’
But since Israel began its retaliatory attack against the Gaza Strip, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed.
This number does not include the number of people who have died of malnutrition.
Since June, when Hamas’ health ministry began collecting data on starvation, 100 children have died of malnutrition while 117 adults succumbed to the lack of sustenance in the Strip.
Despite the barrage of criticism from world leaders regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza, Netanyahu said his nation was prepared to fight without the support of others.
‘We will win the war, with or without the support of others,’ he warned.
Following Netanyahu’s comments, a UN official warned the Security Council that Israel’s plans to control Gaza City risked ‘another calamity’ with far-reaching consequences as Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his goal was not to occupy the territory.
The UN Security Council held a rare emergency weekend meeting after Israel said its military would ‘take control’ of Gaza City approved by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet that sparked a wave of global criticism.
‘If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction,’ UN Assistant Secretary Miroslav Jenca told the UNSC.
Slovenia’s ambassador to the UN Samuel Zbogar, speaking on behalf of the five European members of the Security Council ahead of the meeting, said ‘this decision by the Israeli government will do nothing to secure the return of the hostages and risk further endangering their lives.’
‘It will also worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and risk further death and mass displacement of Palestinian civilians.’
More to follow.
