Jerusalem, May 7: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that a planned expanded military operation in the Gaza Strip would force the enclave’s entire population to either relocate to a confined area in the south or to “voluntarily” emigrate, as Israeli forces prepare to seize control of the entire territory. “We will act with full force and will not stop until all objectives are achieved, including the voluntary emigration plan for Gaza residents,” Katz said during a situational assessment meeting with senior commanders held in preparation for the operation, according to a statement issued on his behalf.
The announcement came amid growing international concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where populations have faced mass starvation and famine since Israel blocked all humanitarian aid on March 2. Katz said the new operation, approved by the Israeli security cabinet on Monday, is intended to dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and to secure the release of 59 hostages still held in the enclave.
Unlike past operations, “the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will remain in every area it captures,” he said, Xinhua news agency reported. However, he added that the Israeli forces are still in preparations, providing “a window of opportunity, until the end of the US President’s visit to the region, to reach a hostage deal based on the Witkoff plan”.
US President Donald Trump will visit the Gulf from May 13 to 16. The ‘Witkoff plan’, named after US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and formally presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early March, proposed the release of additional Israeli hostages in return for a 50-day truce and a promise to engage in talks on a longer truce.
The proposal did not mention a withdrawal of Israeli forces or the release of Palestinian prisoners, two of Hamas’s key demands. Katz said that even if a ceasefire is reached, “Israel will not withdraw from the security buffer zone,” referring to land the Israeli army has already seized.
IANS