Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would enter Gaza “with full force” in the coming days, a statement from his office said on Tuesday (May 13).
Early on Wednesday, Israel’s army issued an evacuation order for areas in northern Gaza.
“In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation. Completing the operation means defeating Hamas. It means destroying Hamas,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with injured reserve soldiers in his office late on Monday.
“There will be no situation where we stop the war. A temporary ceasefire might happen, but we are going all the way,” he added.
Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on Mar 18 amid a deadlock over how to proceed with a Jan 19 ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Earlier this month, Israel’s government approved plans to expand its Gaza offensive, with officials talking of retaining a long-term presence there.
Israel’s military said the planned broader operation, which has drawn international condemnation, would include displacing “most” residents of the Palestinian territory.
Nearly all of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war, sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel.
Israel has pushed for Palestinians to leave Gaza, with a senior security official saying that a “voluntary transfer programme … will be part of the operation’s goals”.
Israeli ministers have seized on a proposal initially floated by US President Donald Trump for the voluntary departure of Gazans to neighbouring countries such as Jordan or Egypt.
Cairo and Amman, along with other Arab allies, governments around the world and the Palestinians themselves, have flatly rejected the proposal.
During the meeting with soldiers, Netanyahu said Israel was working to find countries that may be willing to take in Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
“We’ve set up an administration that will allow them (Gaza residents) to leave but … we need countries willing to take them in. That’s what we’re working on right now,” he said, adding that he estimated “over 50 per cent will leave” if given the option.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.
Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/israel-army-enter-gaza-full-force-netanyahu-hamas-war-5127086
