Netanyahu on Sunday said he had instructed the Israeli military to speed up its plans for the new offensive.
“I want to end the war as quickly as possible, and that is why I have instructed the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) to shorten the schedule for seizing control of Gaza City,” he said.
Netanyahu said the new offensive would focus on Gaza City, which he described as Hamas’ “capital of terrorism”. He also indicated that the coastal area of central Gaza may be next, saying Hamas militants have been pushed there too.
The new plans have raised alarm abroad, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying on Monday they heralded “a disaster of unprecedented gravity” and “a move towards a never-ending war”.
On Friday, Germany, a key European ally, announced it would halt exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza. Britain and other European allies urged Israel to reconsider its decision to escalate the Gaza military campaign.
Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, told Reuters that some countries appeared to be putting pressure on Israel rather than on Hamas, whose deadly attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, ignited the war.
Israel’s planned offensive coincides with worsening hunger in Gaza.
On Monday, the territory’s health ministry said five more people had died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza in the past 24 hours. That raised the number of deaths from such causes to 222, including 101 children, since the war began, the ministry said.
Israel says it has scaled up the entry of aid and commercial goods into Gaza in past weeks. Palestinian and UN officials say the aid is a fraction of what Gaza needs.
