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Israel’s war continues ‘without any goal’, no ‘logic’
Israel’s expansion of its military assault is being done with the intention to “reoccupy Gaza” or at least parts of it, according to Gideon Levy, a columnist at the Israeli news outlet Haaretz.
“Nobody can take seriously the Israeli claim that this [resumption of war] will bring … the release of the hostages. Because we know by now that [military] pressure does not save the hostages,” Levy told Al Jazeera, speaking from Tel Aviv.
“And this is where the families [of the captives] come in, where they say that this is all about political gain for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Levy said the war is “horrifying and frightening” with ceasefire talks having not “amounted to anything”, and with no one to stop Israel, given the US’s support.
“We are in a situation of desperation. A war continues without any goal. The bludgeon continues without any purpose. Innocent people are [killed] on a daily basis,” he said.
“And I don’t see an ending. How will it end? Hamas will not give up because they have nothing to lose. And Israel cannot be stopped.”
‘Nothing left for Gazans by the end of this’
Israel’s goal in its war is the complete destruction of Gaza and the forcible displacement of its 2.3 million people, an analyst says.
“Many would say Israel doesn’t have an endgame or objective, but I think as we’ve seen in the last 17 months that’s not necessarily true,” said Tahani Mustafa from the International Crisis Group. “It may not know what the end result will look like, but the goal here is effectively depopulating Gaza.”
She said what will happen going forward is the extension of Israel’s policy since 2007, which is to render Gaza “completely uninhabitable”.
“You’re going to see Gaza completely razed to the ground. For Palestinians who do remain – if they haven’t been forcibly pushed out or killed – they’ll end up in smaller and smaller patches of territory,” Mustafa told Al Jazeera.
The idea that Israel will allow any form of Palestinian governance over the Strip after the war is “incredibly unrealistic”.
“Israeli politicians have made no secret of that. They are quite open in their plans to ensure there is nothing left for Gazans by the end of this.”
Families of Israeli captives ‘horrified’ by renewed assault on Gaza
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has denounced Israel’s expansion of the offensive in Gaza.
In a statement, it said families of the captives remaining in Gaza were “horrified” to wake up to the defence minister’s announcement that the military is stepping up its military operations in the Palestinian enclave in order to seize more territory there.
“Has it been decided to sacrifice the hostages for the sake of ‘territorial gains?’” the group asked.
“Instead of securing the release of the hostages through a deal and ending the war, the Israeli government is sending more soldiers into Gaza to fight in the same areas where battles have already taken place repeatedly,” it added. “The responsibility for the release of the 59 hostages held by Hamas lies with the Israeli government. Our grave concern is that this mission has been pushed to the bottom of its priorities and has become merely a secondary objective.”
Captives’ families: ‘How do you intend to avoid putting them at risk?’
Families of captives held by Hamas have demanded the Israeli government explain how intensifying the attack on Gaza is going to help free their loved ones.
“Instead of releasing the hostages in the agreement and ending the war, the Israeli government is sending more fighters into Gaza, to fight in the same places where they have fought time and time again,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
Earlier, Defence Minister Israel Katz announced a major expansion of military action, saying the army would seize “large areas” of the Palestinian territory.
The families urged Israeli leaders to explain publicly “how you intend to avoid putting them at risk”. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said military pressure is the best way to get the remaining 59 captives back.
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