Israel approves plan to ‘conquer’ Gaza City

Israel’s defence minister approved a plan on Wednesday for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire. Defence Minister Israel Katz’s move, confirmed by a spokesperson, came as mediators awaited an official Israeli response to their latest proposal.
While mediator Qatar had expressed optimism over the latest proposal, a senior Israeli official said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all captives in any agreement.
The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered release of captives, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza.
On the ground in Gaza City on Wednesday, Mustafa Qazzaat, head of the emergency committee in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as “catastrophic”.
He said that “large numbers” of people were fleeing their neighbourhoods, with the majority of those displaced “on the roads and streets without shelter.”
Aida Abu Madi, a 48-year-old resident of Zeitoun, said she fled on Wednesday with her husband, children and three grandchildren to the home of relatives in western Gaza City.
“I didn’t hear about Israel’s decision, but I saw my neighbours fleeing, so I fled too,” she said.
Anis Daloul, 64, said he fled Zeitoun with his family on Sunday for a neighbourhood northwest of Gaza City.
He said that the Israeli military had “destroyed most of the buildings in Zeitoun and displaced thousands of people”.
Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, approved the plan to conquer Gaza City in early August, sparking fears it will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned of a “permanent war” amid Israel’s planned military operation in Gaza City.
“The military offensive in Gaza that Israel is preparing can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war,” Macron wrote on X.
Macron reiterated his call for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
He also named the release of all captives, a large-scale provision of humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza as well as the disarmament of the Hamas organisation and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority as prerequisites for an end
to the war. — Agencies