New Israeli offensive plans to take Gaza ‘bit by bit’
What’s different this time is that the Israelis are outright saying their goal is not just an absolute victory over Hamas, but the entire takeover of the Gaza Strip, seizing the land.
This has been something that fringe voices within Netanyahu’s government were saying, but no one was necessarily believing. Now, an Israeli official has confirmed that a unanimous decision was made at last night’s security council meeting … that this is going to be the goal.
There really isn’t any sort of timeline for this, and that’s because the Israelis are waiting for US President Donald Trump to visit the region next week. But it’s going to happen gradually; it’s not going to happen fast. Israeli officials are saying there’s going to be months of intense fighting.
Part of this plan that was laid out by the new Israeli chief of staff is to push all of the Palestinians in Gaza south bit by bit. They are first going to what they call “conquer” the northern part of Gaza, push them towards the south, then go towards the central part and continue to push Palestinians further south, ultimately taking all that land along the way.
You also have people within the government, including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who say they want the plan of “voluntary migration” of Palestinians, which has been condemned as ethnic cleansing, back in play as well
Smotrich says Israel seeking to permanently conquer Gaza, no future retreat
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said the cabinet-approved plan to expand the Gaza offensive includes capturing the enclave “once and for all”.
“From the moment ground manoeuvres begin, there will be no withdrawal from the territories we’ve captured, not even in exchange for hostages,” Smotrich was quoted by Arutz Sheva as saying at a conference today.
“We are going to conquer the Gaza Strip once and for all. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation’,” he said. “We are capturing territory and staying there.”
Smotrich added that Israel would take “full control of humanitarian aid, so that it doesn’t turn into supplies for Hamas”.
“We’re separating Hamas from the population, cleansing the Strip, returning the hostages and defeating Hamas,” the minister said.
This is what impunity looks like, well done world, it's happening again. Start of the next holocaust. Starvation instead of gas.
It's also a good ploy to get rid of any evidence of all the war crimes and atrocities so far.
