Israel is planning on expanding its ground offensive and occupying 25 percent of the besieged Gaza Strip over the next two to three weeks, a senior Israeli official told reporters on Monday.
The senior official said this was part of a wider “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at forcing Hamas to release the remaining captives held in Gaza, Axios reported.
The official further said that the Israeli army plans to broaden the buffer zone controlled by the Israeli army.
The comments from the official go beyond Israel’s initial claims to justify its war on Gaza, which were to eradicate Hamas and free captives.
Reports state the planned move could serve as a pretence for expelling Palestinians from Gaza.
This comes after Palestinians started to return to their homes during the now collapsed ceasefire deal.
“Some Israeli officials say reoccupation is a step towards implementing the government’s plan for ‘voluntary departure’ of Palestinians from Gaza and is necessary to defeat Hamas,” Axios reported.
Activists and human rights campaigners have long said Israel’s push for “voluntary departures” are actually a cover for a more sinister effort to expel Palestinians completley from Gaza, with no right of return.
This coincides with continued forced displacement orders from the Israeli military, which tell Palestinians to leave the areas they are staying in on foot and with little notice.
“The IDF is returning to intense operations to dismantle the capabilities of the terrorist organisations in their areas. For your safety, move immediately to the shelters in the al-Mawasi,” Israel’s Arabic language spokesperson for the military wrote on X on Monday.
Other areas that have received displacement orders include Khan Younis, al-Mawasi, Rafah, Tal al-Zataar and Beit Hanoun.
Israel resumed the war on Gaza on 17 March, with at least 1,000 Palestinians killed since then, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Gaza’s government media office says at least 61,700 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October 2023, with the actual toll expected to be higher.
Israel has also been blocking off all aid from entering the besieged Gaza Strip for over a month, garnering worldwide condemnation.
