Israeli Defense Minister: Approval of Military Plans to Eliminate Hamas and Evacuate Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced on Friday, August 22, that his government approved military plans aimed at "eliminating Hamas and evacuating the population in Gaza." This announcement came as Israeli media reported that the security and political cabinet would hold a meeting next Tuesday.
In literal statements, Katz threatened, saying: "We will force Hamas leaders to accept Israel's conditions to end the war.. Our conditions are the release of all hostages and the dismantling of Hamas's weapons." He added threateningly: "If Hamas does not agree to our conditions, we will turn the city of Gaza into Rafah and Beit Hanoun," referring to two cities that witnessed significant destruction during previous Israeli military operations.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his directive to begin "immediate negotiations to end the war on terms acceptable to Israel," considering that "the war in Gaza will end soon." Netanyahu emphasized that "Israel will control Gaza, even if Hamas agrees to a deal," stressing that "Hamas will not remain in Gaza." He also noted that the United States supports Israel in "the necessity that Hamas's control over the Gaza Strip does not continue."
On the ground, Israeli airstrikes continued, mostly focused on the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of 49 people in the past 24 hours, according to local sources.
According to "Al Arabiya," the air and artillery bombardment targeted Jabalia al-Nazla and the Abu Iskander area, using explosive drones to blow up buildings in eastern Jabalia. The bombardment also affected the neighborhoods of Zaitoun and Sabra east of Gaza City, while warplanes continued to carry out strikes on the Nuseirat camp and Khan Younis in the south.
Local sources reported the death of eleven Palestinians due to intense and heavy bombardments in various areas of the sector, including the targeting of a displaced persons' tent in the center of Gaza City, which resulted in the deaths of five people, and the bombing of a house in the Nuseirat camp in the middle of the sector that led to civilian casualties, including a child.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City and its surroundings "have caused the destruction of more than 50 residential buildings and forced more than 16,000 civilians to flee in recent days." The office described this as having "devastating consequences for civilians," considering that "intensive bombardment exacerbates the humanitarian collapse in the sector and exposes civilians to increasing risks."
The war erupted following the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the abduction of more than 250 others, according to the Israeli side. Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry has reported the deaths of more than 62,000 Palestinians, while the sector faces a severe humanitarian disaster with the spread of famine and the destruction of infrastructure.
