Israel to 'occupy Gaza' as cabinet approves expanded war
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his country will "finally" occupy the Gaza Strip as Benjamin Netanyahu's government orders the war on the Palestinian enclave to be expanded.
The far-right minister said Israel will not withdraw from Gaza even if Israeli captives will be freed in return, noting that their release is only possible if Hamas is "subdued".
"We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation,'" Smotrich told Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal during a news conference.
“We are finally taking control of all humanitarian aid, so that it does not become supplies for Hamas. We are separating Hamas from the population, cleansing the strip, returning the hostages - and defeating Hamas,” he said.
Israel's plan to expand its assault in Gaza is different to previous operations, with a political source telling Ynet that Netanyahu told ministers: "We are moving from the method of raids to occupying the territories and remaining in them."
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According to the reported plan, Palestinians will be forced to move to Gaza's south, and Israel is in talks with other countries regarding the plan to expel Gaza's population as promoted by US President Donald Trump.
"Netanyahu emphasised in the discussion that this is a good plan since it can achieve the goals of defeating Hamas and returning the hostages," the official told Ynet.
However, the Israeli public and other officials say otherwise.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group dedicated to the return of Israeli captives from Gaza, has hit back at the operation, describing it as the "Smotrich-Netanyahu plan", which they say aims to "give up on the hostages and Israel's security and national resilience".
Meanwhile, military chief of staff Eyal Zamir has warned that the scheme could endanger the lives of the remaining captives in Gaza.
"Keep in mind - as part of a broad manoeuvre, we could lose the hostages," Zamir was quoted as saying to Netanyahu.
'"The chief of staff's warning should deprive every citizen in Israel of sleep. An overwhelming majority of the people are united around the agreement that an Israeli victory cannot be achieved without returning the kidnapped," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in response.
"Losing the kidnapped means an Israeli loss. National security and social security depend on the return of all the kidnapped, down to the last one."
Military control over aid distribution
Israel has refused to allow any humanitarian aid to enter Gaza since it unilaterally broke a ceasefire with Hamas two months ago.
In cabinet discussions outlining the control of aid distribution, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stressed that no essentials should be brought into the enclave, despite critical levels of hunger recorded in Gaza and the collapse of its medical sector.
"We should bomb Hamas' food reserves," Ben Gvir was quoted as saying during the meetings.
Zamir noted that these kinds of suggestions are "dangerous to us", with Ben Gvir replying: "We have no legal obligation to feed those we are fighting, there's enough food."
Forced starvation and collective punishment are war crimes.
On Friday, Amnesty International called for Israel to end its siege on Gaza, which it called "a genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare".
Additionally, United Nations and aid groups have denounced the new plans, as the distribution of food and essential items to the over two million people in Gaza will be led by the Israeli military.
In a joint statement issued on Sunday, UN agencies and NGOs said the plan “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic - as part of a military strategy".
They said Israeli officials are working to "shut down the existing aid distribution system run by the United Nations and its humanitarian partners", which could mean that large parts of the Gaza Strip will have no access to aid supplies.
"It is dangerous, driving civilians into militarized zones to collect rations, threatening lives, including those of humanitarian workers, while further entrenching forced displacement," the statement added.
The UN agencies and rights groups said they will not participate in "any scheme that does not adhere to the global humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality".
"Humanitarian action responds to people’s needs, wherever they are... We urge world leaders to use their influence to make that happen. The time is now," the said.
According to Munir al-Bursh, director general of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the blockade - now the most severe since the war began 18 months ago - has plunged nearly 91 percent of the population, around two million people, into a food crisis.
The number of children receiving treatment for malnutrition rose by 80 percent in April compared to March, driven by the blockade, the UN's humanitarian office, Ocha, reported.
According to Ocha, 92 percent of children aged six months to two years - and their mothers - are not receiving the minimum required nutrition, while 65 percent of Gaza’s population lacks access to clean drinking water.
Israeli forces have killed more than 52,500 Palestinians in the besieged enclave, including over 15,000 children, and wounded 118,600 more. At least 10,000 more people are missing.
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