JERUSALEM/CAIRO — Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon his recently approved plan to seize Gaza City, warning it falls short of defeating Hamas. The proposal, endorsed by Netanyahu’s security cabinet on Friday, aims to intensify military operations in the war-ravaged enclave but has drawn strong criticism both at home and abroad.
Smotrich, posting on X, said the plan merely repeats previous failed operations and accused Netanyahu of lacking the will to secure a decisive victory. He and other far-right coalition members have called for a complete military occupation of Gaza, annexation of parts of the territory, and displacement of many Palestinians — positions the Israeli military warns could jeopardize remaining hostages and drag troops into prolonged guerrilla warfare.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cautioned that an invasion risked becoming “a Vietnam for Israeli soldiers,” urging a UN-led Arab peacekeeping mission to help reunify the Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, protests in Tel Aviv have intensified, with thousands demanding a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the humanitarian fallout, with aid groups warning of worsening hunger.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported five more deaths from malnutrition in the past day, raising the total to 217 since the war began — including 100 children. Israeli fire on Sunday killed at least six Palestinians, according to medics.
The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages. Israel’s military response has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and devastated much of Gaza’s infrastructure.
0 comments:
Post a Comment