Netanyahu says intense fighting coming to an end, Gaza war to continue
The Israeli prime minister says the phase of intense fighting against Hamas is coming to a close, but the war will not stop until the group no longer controls the Gaza Strip.
Once heavy battles are over in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu said, it will allow Israel to deploy more forces to the front with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And we will do this. First and foremost for defensive purposes. And secondly, to bring our [evacuated] residents home,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14.
“If we can we will do this diplomatically. If not, we will do it another way. But we will bring [the residents] home.”
In other words, bombing will continue by drones, planes, boats. War by remote control. Blockade will continue. Let starvation, disease outbreaks and lack of healthcare do the rest.
What if Israel’s plan was no ‘day after’ for Gaza all along?
Just like the United States did in Iraq and Afghanistan, Israel has entered a war in Gaza with vague and overambitious aims.
But what US officials may not care to admit is that Israel is not thinking about an end to the military phase, and a beginning of a civilian reconstruction plan, argues Nathan Brown, professor of international relations and political science at George Washington University.
Brown says Israel has purposely designed the carnage in Gaza to be a “forever war” – not something that will ever be resolved, especially with a “blank cheque” from the US.
Two more children die from malnutrition in northern Gaza
In Beit Lahiya, health officials at Kamal Adwan Hospital say two babies died of malnutrition.
Infant deaths from malnutrition or dehydration now number at least 31 since October 7, 2023, a figure health officials say reflects under-reporting.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said last week that more than 50,000 children in the Gaza Strip require immediate medical treatment for acute malnutrition.
“With continued restrictions to humanitarian access, people in Gaza continue to face desperate levels of hunger,” UNRWA said.
