Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Wednesday that he had ordered an accelerated occupation of Gaza, ignoring mediators who have been waiting for more than 48 hours for Tel Aviv to respond to a ceasefire proposal.
In a post on the social media platform of the US-based X company, Netanyahu’s office said that, before approving plans to occupy Gaza, he had ordered a reduction in the timeline for taking control of the “last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli military began sending out calls for the mobilization of 60,000 reservists after Defense Minister Israel Katz approved plans to occupy Gaza as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariot 2.
The military launched an operation against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on May 16, codenamed “Gideon’s Chariot.”
Former Israeli politicians and military officials have acknowledged that the operation failed to achieve its main goals, defeating Hamas and freeing all hostages.
However, the military claimed to have taken control of 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli security cabinet would meet on Thursday to approve the military’s plans for occupying Gaza.
“Meanwhile, behind the scenes, negotiations continue on a hostage swap (of Israelis in Gaza). Netanyahu is less inclined to accept a partial deal that Hamas has agreed to, but the door is not completely closed,” the report said.
“From Netanyahu’s perspective, occupying Gaza could serve as significant pressure on Hamas to agree to a comprehensive deal on Israel’s terms: disarming Hamas, expelling its leaders, and excluding the movement from future government.”
According to Israel’s Channel 14, the army is already operating on the outskirts of Gaza in the Zeitoun neighborhood, and as of Tuesday evening in Jabalia in northern Gaza, as part of preparatory operations before a major offensive.
The channels said the army will redeploy the 98th Division to the Gaza Strip, bringing the total to five divisions in the operation.
A Security Cabinet meeting on Thursday will decide whether to continue talks on a hostage exchange or launch a full-fledged military operation to occupy Gaza.
Netanyahu’s statements and the army’s preparations come as mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States continue efforts to broker a ceasefire and prisoner exchange after Hamas accepted a new proposal on Monday, to which Israel has been waiting for more than 48 hours for a response.
The proposal outlines a path toward a comprehensive agreement to end the war, preceded by a 60-day cessation of hostilities during which some prisoners would be exchanged and Israeli forces would redeploy to the Gaza Strip with increased humanitarian aid.
But Netanyahu said on Tuesday that “Israel’s policy has not changed and that it is demanding the release of all 50 abductees.”
Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 62,100 Palestinians in Gaza. The military campaign has devastated the strip, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice over the war in the Gaza Strip, AA writes.
