Israel is determined to take full control of Gaza City and will call up 50,000 new reservists for this purpose. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's government has approved a controversial settlement project that could divide the West Bank.
According to media reports, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, which calls up 50,000 new reservists. This was confirmed by an Israeli army representative quoted by world news agencies. It is specified that the calls will be sent in the coming days so that the reservists can begin their service in September, ARD reports.
A total of about 120,000 reservists are planned to be sent. However, the majority of the military personnel to be deployed in the largest urban center in the Gaza Strip will be active-duty soldiers.
Media: Gaza City to be evacuated
According to media reports, the plan calls for the evacuation of the city, which is estimated to be home to about one million people. The Ynet news portal reported that Katz also authorized preparations to begin for the evacuation of civilians from Gaza City, who will be transported to the southern parts of the coastal strip. The aim is to ensure that they are supplied with humanitarian aid. However, there are also concerns that the offensive will worsen the already catastrophic situation of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, ARD also points out.
No response yet to the new ceasefire proposal
The authorization for the operation was given despite the fact that the Islamist organization Hamas, according to its information, gave a "positive response" to the new proposal of mediators Egypt and Qatar for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that the Israeli response to the new peace proposal can be expected by the end of this week. According to media reports, the security cabinet is due to meet on Thursday.
Israeli demands for an end to the war in the Middle East include the disarmament of Hamas, the return of all hostages, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli control over security and an alternative civilian administration that is not exercised by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, world agencies recall in this regard.
Controversial plan for new Jewish settlements in the West Bank approved
An Israeli planning committee has approved plans to expand Israeli settlements in a particularly sensitive area of the West Bank, Israeli media and the organization "Peace Now" reported. 3,400 new settler homes are to be built between East Jerusalem and the city of Maale Adumim, which would effectively divide the Palestinian enclave into a northern and southern part. Critics say this would block the territorial integrity of a future Palestinian state.
Smotrich wants to "bury the Palestinian state"
The far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has already admitted that the project aims to "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state. A few days ago, he called for the acceleration of the key project for the construction of 3,400 homes in the West Bank and for the annexation of this Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in 1967. He thus responded to the announced intention of several countries, including France, Britain, Canada and Australia, to recognize the Palestinian state in response to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Nearly 150 of the 193 UN member states, including Bulgaria, have already recognized the Palestinian state.