Israel "will completely defeat "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip to ensure the release of the hostages," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night, quoted by Agence France-Presse and BTA, after a meeting with security officials, at which the next phase of the war was discussed.
"It is necessary to completely defeat the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. We will not abandon any of these tasks," Netanyahu said during a visit to a military base.
Yesterday afternoon, according to his office, he held a "limited discussion on security" that lasted nearly three hours. During the meeting, "the army commander presented him with the options for continuing operations in Gaza," the statement said.
Yesterday, several ministers "confirmed that Netanyahu has decided to expand the fighting in the areas where the hostages are being held," the Israeli newspaper Kan reported.
The Maariv newspaper noted that "this dramatic decision" means the army will "commence fighting in areas" where it has refrained from fighting in recent months - where hostages may be held, as well as in camps with displaced people and areas with a high concentration of civilians.
Meanwhile, another 68 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks yesterday, including 56 who were waiting for food distribution in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip and in Zikim in the northern part of the enclave.
The army said it fired "warning shots" in southern Gaza and announced that it was verifying reports of the shooting in Zikim.
A senior UN official warned today that the expansion of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip would have "catastrophic consequences", amid reports in the Israeli press about plans to occupy all of Palestinian territory, Agence France-Presse reported.
"International law is clear on this point – Gaza is and must remain an integral part of the future Palestinian state," said Miroslav Jenka, UN Under-Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, during an emergency meeting of the Security Council dedicated to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned on the social network "Ex" that such intentions by Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet "will lead to the death of all hostages". He pointed out that those remaining in captivity by "Hamas" Israeli hostages in Gaza will die of starvation, beatings, torture, or even during the Israeli military operation if the army takes action to capture the entire enclave.
Of the 250 people kidnapped by the Palestinian group during the attack on October 7, 2023, it is estimated that 50 are still being held in the Gaza Strip, with about 20 of them believed to be still alive.