Israeli officials have approved a plan for the military to scale up its deadly occupation in Gaza, despite increased global condemnation of the government’s killing and starving of the territory’s Palestinian population over the last 22 months.
The plan involves Israeli forces capturing Gaza City in the north and forcibly displacing its hundreds of thousands of residents to the south, which has been flattened by the military. Israel said it has called up 60,000 reservists and extended the service of an additional 20,000 in order to carry out the operation.
Israel maintains the military operation is meant to wipe out Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group that carried out the deadly attack on Oct. 7, 2023. About 50 hostages taken by Hamas at the time remain in captivity, roughly half of whom Israel believes are dead.
Arab mediators say Hamas leaders have agreed to the latest ceasefire proposal, though similar developments in the past have not led to a permanent truce. Israel has not agreed to the deal.
Both the international community and some Israelis themselves have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning the hostages and a potential ceasefire in favor of destroying the Palestinian people. The Gaza Health Ministry estimates Israeli forces have killed at least 62,000 people, with the real toll expected to be much higher.