Destruction in Jabaliya, Gaza, last month.Credit…Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
Israel plans to escalate its Gaza campaign
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel declared yesterday that his country was “on the eve of a forceful entry to Gaza.” Israel’s security cabinet has approved a new plan for tens of thousands of additional soldiers to seize territory in the enclave and relocate Palestinians to the south.
Netanyahu said that the new military action would bring home the remaining hostages, but critics warned that the plan would endanger the lives of hostages without fundamentally changing a dynamic created by 18 months of war. The organization representing the families of hostages issued a statement urging Israel not to widen the war.
What’s next: Israel said the offensive would start slowly as cease-fire talks continued ahead of President Trump’s trip next week to the Gulf region. A government spokesman said the campaign called for Israeli soldiers to hold territories for an indefinite period of time “to prevent Hamas from taking it back.”
Aid: The cabinet also approved a new mechanism for allowing the distribution of humanitarian aid. Food shortages in Gaza have reached “catastrophic” levels, the U.N. has warned.
Yemen: Israeli fighter jets bombed the port city of Hudaydah, after Houthi militants fired a missile near Israel’s main international airport this weekend.
