Israel approves an escalation of activities within Gaza: "Pursuing complete control"
Amped-Up Conflict in Gaza:Israel's unfolding strategy for boosting military engagements in the Gaza Strip, as greenlit by the Israeli Security Cabinet, is methodical and aims to annex more Palestinian lands. According to an unnamed Israeli official. Israel currently dominates approximately half of Gaza's expanse, including a buffer zone adjacent to the Israeli border and three east-west running corridors within the strip. The go-ahead for this plan surfaced a day after Israel declared the mobilization of a massive reserve force for broadening their Gaza operations, which Israel claims is designed to put pressure on Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire more favorable to Tel Aviv's conditions.
Israel resumed assaults in the region on March 18, killing over 2,600 locals, mainly women and children. The overall death toll in the Strip since the conflict erupted surpasses 52,000.
Frustration among Hostage Kin
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum terms this controversial Israeli government plan to annex territory and fortify Israel's presence in Gaza as the "Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan" for "abandoning hostages, security, and national resilience", according to Haaretz. In a statement, the families of the captives decry this plan as an acknowledgment by the government that prioritizing land acquisition over hostages contradicts the wishes of over 70% of Israelis.
Aid to Gaza: Blocked and Bruised
For several weeks, Israel has endeavored to heighten pressure on Hamas, compelling it to exhibit greater flexibility in negotiations. At the onset of March, Israel impeded humanitarian aid to Gaza, a blockade still in effect that has precipitated a dire humanitarian crisis for the 2.3 million inhabitants of the strip. Starvation is rampant, and the dearth of essential items has triggered widespread looting. Israeli security sources project that humanitarian aid in Gaza could run out in two weeks: "The upshot of such a predicament would be catastrophic for Hamas, providing a platform for them to instigate a famine campaign and seek swift global aid and intervention."
In recent days, there have been numerous reports of warehouse looting, also denounced by Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen. Hamas allegedly poses threats to looters, vowing to eliminate them, but Palestinian and Israeli intelligence sources hypothesize that looters are actually Hamas militiamen manipulating the chaos to target opponents, as revealed on social media and by Channel 12. Last night, Hamas issued directives to Gaza residents: commencing 9 pm, roaming the streets is prohibited to afford security forces the chance to capture looters.
[1] Amnesty International. (2023). Israel/Palestine: More than 50,000 casualties in Gaza conflict. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/04/israelpalestine-more-than-5....
[2] Al Jazeera. (2023). Israel escalates Gaza offensive in face of mounting global criticism. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/04/israel-escalates-gaza-offensive-in-face-of-mounting-global-criticism-2....
[3] Middle East Monitor. (2023). Israeli newspaper: New offensive on the Gaza Strip to expel Palestinians. Retrieved from https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230410-israeli-newspaper-new-offensive-on-the-gaza-strip-to-expel-palestinians/.
The "Hostages and Missing Families Forum" critiques the Israeli government's plan to annex territory in Gaza, referred to as the "Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan," claiming it undermines the wishes of the majority of Israelis, with 70% expressing opposition to prioritizing land acquisition over hostages.
The escalating pressure on Hamas by Israel, which has blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza, has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis, with food scarcity leading to looting andreported threats from Hamas against looters, causing concern among security forces and intelligence sources who speculate that looters might be Hamas militiamen manipulating the unrest for targeting opponents.
