Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced a significant expansion of military operations in the Hamas-run , even as UN officials have warned of a campaign of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Katz said the army would take control of “large areas” of the Palestinian territory.
He said Israel would expand its presence in Gaza to “destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.”
The expanded operation would “seize large areas that will be incorporated into Israeli security zones,” Katz said, without saying how much territory planned to take.
Katz said the army was “expanding to crush and clean the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure and capture large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel.”
He urged Gaza residents to “expel Hamas and return all hostages.”
“This is the only way to end the war,” Katz said.
Hamas still holds 59 hostages, of whom 24 are still thought to be alive. Most of the rest were freed in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forums criticized Katz’s decision to expands Israel’s operations in Gaza, asking if it has been decided to sacrifice the hostages for the sake of “territorial gains.”
Earlier, Katz announced plans in February to establish an agency that would deal with the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Israel has expressed its support for a proposal from US President Donald Trump to take over Gaza, which had a pre-war population of 2.4 million, after removing its Palestinian inhabitants.
Forced displacement is a crime under international law, and senior UN officials have said the plan amounts to ethnic cleansing. Human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have deemed Israel to be committing genocide in Gaza, an accusation the Israeli government has rejected.
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