Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas,” defending his government’s plan for a major new military offensive in the Gaza Strip despite mounting criticism at home and abroad, reports AP. Speaking to foreign media in Jerusalem, Netanyahu insisted “our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza,” outlining objectives that include demilitarizing the enclave, establishing Israeli “overriding security control,” and installing a non-Israeli civilian administration. He also accused critics of w

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas,” defending his government’s plan for a major new military offensive in the Gaza Strip despite mounting criticism at home and abroad, reports

AP.

Speaking to foreign media in Jerusalem, Netanyahu insisted “our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza,” outlining objectives that include demilitarizing the enclave, establishing Israeli “overriding security control,” and installing a non-Israeli civilian administration. He also accused critics of waging a “global campaign of lies” against Israel and revealed he had ordered the military to allow “more foreign journalists” into Gaza, a notable shift after months of restricted access. The comments come as the Israeli Security Cabinet has approved five core principles for ending the war: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising Gaza, ensuring Israeli security control, and creating a new civil administration “neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.” Netanyahu said there was a “fairly short timetable” for the next phase. But the plan [starting with a takeover of Gaza City] has sparked outrage across Israel and internationally. Tens of thousands protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in one of the largest anti-government rallies in recent months, with hostage families calling for a nationwide strike to pressure Netanyahu to halt the offensive. Many fear that a deeper incursion could put the estimated 50 remaining hostages at greater risk. Of those abducted in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack; which killed about 1,200 people in Israel, around 20 are believed to be alive.

Protestors gather in TelAviv demanding the release of hostages

International reaction has been swift. Egypt and Turkey condemned the plan, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty calling it “inadmissible” and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accusing Israel of seeking to “de-Palestinize” Gaza by turning it into a place “where Palestinians do not live.” The UK, France, Canada, and others have voiced opposition, Germany has suspended military exports to Israel, and the UN Security Council is set to meet in emergency session.

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Aid Deaths and Growing Hunger Crisis

Meanwhile, at least 26 Palestinians were killed Sunday while seeking aid, according to hospitals and witnesses. Casualties occurred near food convoy routes and private aid distribution points in southern, central, and northern Gaza. In one incident, ten people died while waiting near the newly built Morag corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital said. Six more were killed in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing, and four in central Gaza were reportedly shot after warning fire near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site in Nuseirat. The U.S. and Israel set up the GHF months ago as an alternative to UN aid delivery, but its operations have been marred by deadly chaos. The GHF denied incidents at its sites, attributing deaths to “crowds trying to loot aid convoy,” and the Israeli military said it had no involvement near central Gaza aid areas. Separate airstrikes killed seven people, three near Gaza City’s fishermen’s port and four, including two children, in Khan Younis. The Israeli military did not comment but has repeatedly accused Hamas of operating from civilian areas. The humanitarian toll is worsening. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported two more child deaths from malnutrition on Saturday, bringing the total to 100 children and 117 adults who have died of hunger-related causes since late June. The overall war death toll in Gaza now stands at 61,400, with about half believed to be women and children. The UN warns famine is already unfolding.  

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