Israel has already annexed territory in Gaza and plans to acquire more, expert says
Itay Epshtain, an expert on international humanitarian law, said in a post on X that “Israel has already annexed 56 square kilometres (21.6sq miles) of Gaza’s occupied territory, named the ‘Netzarim Territory'”.
Israel has similar plans for territories in North Gaza and Rafah “to be permanently acquired, while 2.2 million Palestinians are interned in Khan Younis and Al Bureij,” said Epshtain, who is also a special adviser to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“The @UN Security Council #UNSC should refer #Israel‘s use of armed force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of @Palestine_UN – in breach of the prohibition of aggression, a peremptory norm of international law – to the @IntlCrimCourt,” he added.
In total, the Gaza Strip makes up only about 365sq km (141sq miles), making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
A satellite image shows an area the Israeli military has completely cleared, to dissect the Gaza Strip, and which it has called the ‘Netzarim Corridor’
US to judge Israel’s progress on boosting aid to Gaza this week
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, says the US will “make judgements about what kind of progress” Israel has made on improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip this week.
The statement on CBS’s Face the Nation came as a 30-day deadline set by the US for Israel to address what its officials called a “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in the Gaza Strip looms.
In a letter on October 13, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Israel to take steps within 30 days or risk restrictions on US military aid. These include increasing the level of aid getting into Gaza to at least 350 trucks a day, instituting additional humanitarian passes and providing increased security for humanitarian sites.
Sullivan told CBS that Biden, Blinken and Austin would “make judgements about what we do in response” after its assessment.
As we’ve been reporting, a UN-backed committee has found that there is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas of northern Gaza, noting that the average number of aid trucks entering the enclave has fallen to 58 per day, the lowest level since the beginning of the war.
Updated to the 11th, trending down
Trucks carry humanitarian aid at the Karem Abu Salem crossing (known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis)
