Israel’s Defense Minister Approves Plan to Occupy Gaza City
Gaza (Quds News Network)- Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has approved a plan to occupy Gaza City, which includes the forced displacement of one million Palestinians from the northern part of the Strip to the south.
Israeli media reported on Wednesday, citing the defense ministry, that the assault will be called Gideon's Chariots B, a continuation of Gideon's Chariots which was launched in May and led to the Israeli takeover of 75% of Gaza, displacing thousands of people and killing hundreds of civilians.
As part of the plan, the Israeli military will send out necessary reserve forces orders, with plans to forcibly displace the residents from Gaza City to the south.
Has Israel Began its plan to occupy Gaza City?
Israel’s security cabinet two weeks ago approved plans to seize Gaza City and forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to concentration zones, despite international condemnation from the United Nations and states.
The plan reportedly involves forcing around one million residents southwards before surrounding the city and launching incursions into residential areas, followed by an expansion into refugee camps in central Gaza.
Now, Israel’s military has stepped up attacks on Gaza City as part of its plans, forcing tens of thousands of starving Palestinians to flee again.
The Gaza City neighbourhoods of Zeitoun, Sabra, Remal and Tuffah have particularly borne the brunt of the Israeli bombardments in recent days as a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Israel’s plans to forcibly displace Palestinians to southern Gaza would increase their suffering.
Thousands of families have fled Zeitoun, one of Gaza City’s largest neighbourhoods, and Sabra, where days of continuous strikes have left the neighbourhood devastated.
The two neighbourhoods have faced continuous bombardment and demolitions since last week.
Civil Defence officials said entire families were killed when their homes were blown up without warning using high-explosive bombs that also levelled surrounding buildings.
They added that rescue crews have been blocked from reaching the wounded or recovering bodies, worsening the humanitarian situation.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, stated last week:“A catastrophic reality is unfolding in Gaza City. The city is under intense and relentless Israeli bombardment. High-rise buildings are being targeted, even though civilians remain inside.”
Residents told Quds News Network that Israeli forces appeared to be in the preparatory stage of the expanded invasion, hitting multiple neighbourhoods.
Already displaced Palestinians are pleading for global intervention: “Where are we supposed to go?”
Israel said it has terminated the humanitarian activities in Gaza of Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, after it refused to provide a list of its Palestinian staff over concerns for their safety and a lack of assurances on how the information would be used by Israel.
Encyclopaedia Britannica removed Israel from its educational materials for children and replaced it with Palestine. Following pressure from a pro-Israel lawyers’ group, Britannica reverted to using Israel.