Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that he has ordered his team to immediately start negotiations to “free” all hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza and to end the war on “acceptable” terms. At the same time, he stated that he will continue with plans to occupy the city of Gaza.
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In fact, on the same day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they had started issuing “early warnings” to medical personnel and humanitarian organizations to evacuate Gaza City, as a preliminary step to the occupation.
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Is a ceasefire possible in Gaza?
Netanyahu anticipates a “decisive victory” against Hamas, a group that he aspires to “defeat” by intensifying the military offensive launched on the Palestinian enclave. “The defeat of Hamas and the liberation of all hostages go hand in hand,” said the prime minister in a video recorded from a military division command post responsible for Gaza.
The government of Israel has already taken the first step in the offensive to take military control of Gaza, despite the opposition of the IDF chief of staff, by approving the recruitment of up to 60,000 reservists.
Hamas gave preliminary approval to a ceasefire agreement presented by mediators from Qatar and Egypt, which would include a 60-day truce and the release of 10 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. So far, the Netanyahu government has not responded to this proposal.
Beginning of the evacuation of Gaza City
“As part of the preparations for the relocation of the population from the City of Gaza to the south for their protection, the coordination and liaison office of COGAT (the Israeli military authority responsible for the Palestinian territories) has issued the first alerts to doctors and international organizations,” says a statement from the Israeli Defense Forces.
Israeli authorities emphasized to medical teams “that hospital infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip is being adapted to accommodate the sick and injured, along with an increase in the entry of necessary medical equipment, according to the requests of international organizations.”
The idea in Israel was to start the occupation in October, but Netanyahu ordered the IDF to “shorten” the deadlines “to take control of the last terrorist strongholds and ensure the defeat of Hamas” in Gaza.