Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, approved on Tuesday night the plan presented by the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), General Eyal Zamir, to take Gaza City and authorized the mobilization of around 60,000 reservists to participate in the operation, his office confirmed on Wednesday.
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La decisión del gobierno de Israel parece descartar la opción del cese al fuego aceptada por Hamás y presentada por mediadores de Qatar y Egipto.
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What did the Minister of Defense of Israel say?
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense indicated that Katz “has approved the Israeli army’s attack plan in the city of Gaza.” The minister also endorsed “the issuance of mobilization orders for the reservists needed to carry out the mission,” totaling around 60,000 men.
According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, another 70,000 soldiers will have to extend their current service for an additional 30 to 40 days.
According to the spokesperson, the official also authorized “humanitarian preparations for the evacuation” of the population of that town, the most important in the northern part of the war-torn Palestinian territory. It is estimated that this will involve the forced mobilization of nearly one million people, many of whom are already internally displaced from other parts of the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
In early August, Israel announced that it was preparing to take control of Gaza City and the neighboring refugee camps with the stated goal of defeating Hamas and freeing the hostages kidnapped during the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7, 2023, which triggered the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at the end of last week that he has adopted the new plan, approved by his security cabinet, for this new phase of operations in the Palestinian enclave.
Israel does not respond to ceasefire proposal
The Israeli government has not commented on the latest ceasefire proposal, after Hamas said two days ago that it had approved a truce agreement proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which would include a 60-day ceasefire and the release of ten hostages alive in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
According to The Times of Israel, despite the official silence, the Netanyahu administration is reviewing a proposal for a truce with Hamas, although the Prime Minister’s office insisted that the conditions to end the war are the disarmament of the Islamist organization, the dismantling of the government in Gaza, and the return of all hostages.