Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli army to fully occupy the Gaza Strip. Notably, that is a major escalation and the aim is at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages, according to Israeli media reports.
This marks a turning point in the nearly 10-month war. Israeli forces already control about 75% of Gaza but will now target the remaining areas, including those believed to hold hostages. Netanyahu’s office told the army chief to carry out the order or resign, reported The Jerusalem Post.
The decision came just hours after Hamas and Islamic Jihad released shocking videos of two Israeli hostages, Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David. Braslavski said he could no longer stand due to injuries, while David, shown digging what he said was his own grave, claimed he had gone days without food. Netanyahu said the intentions of the videos were meant to “break” Israel, not to push for a deal.
Tensions within Israel’s leadership also appear to be rising. Army Radio reported that military chief Eyal Zamir is frustrated with what he calls a lack of strategic clarity and fears the army could be drawn into a long war of attrition.
On Saturday night, tens of thousands of Israelis joined one of the largest recent protests, calling for an immediate ceasefire deal. The demonstrations were fueled by public anger over the hostage videos.
Netanyahu, who met with Red Cross officials, urged them to deliver food and medicine to the hostages.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues. The UN estimates that nearly 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since May while trying to get aid, mostly near distribution sites run by an American contractor with Israeli support. Israel denies deliberately targeting civilians, saying warning shots were fired to control crowds.
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