Netanyahu’s Plans For Expanded Gaza Offensive Spark Anger And Dismay At Home And Abroad

TEL AVIV — Outrage is increasing over Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned caller Gaza Strip offensive, pinch news of nan Israeli leader’s broadening subject run met pinch anger astatine location and condemnation abroad.

An relation of Israel aerial unit reserve and retired pilots person issued a connection calling for an “immediate extremity to nan futile warfare and urgent action to bring nan hostages home.”

“The warfare being waged successful Gaza is exacting an unbearable toll from hostages who person languished successful captivity for 676 days, is risking our soldiers’ lives successful vain, is causing unnecessary harm to innumerable guiltless civilians, and is degrading Israel’s opinionated successful nan world to an unprecedented low,” it added connected Sunday.

The connection — which was nan first clip nan group had explicitly called for an extremity to nan conflict — was issued arsenic Palestinians continued dying from some Israeli occurrence and hunger.

Demonstrators raise yellowish flags and placards during an anti-government protestation calling for action to unafraid nan merchandise of Israeli hostages successful Jerusalem Thursday.Ahmad Gharabli / AFP via Getty Images

Families of hostages were, meanwhile, increasing progressively desperate.

“The determination to nonstop nan service deeper into Gaza is simply a threat to my husband, Omri,” Lishay Miran-Lavi, woman of hostage Omri Miran, told a news convention Sunday arsenic Netanyahu defended a antecedently unannounced operation successful nan besieged and bombarded Palestinian enclave.

Calling connected Israel’s largest companies, waste and acquisition unions and nan tech assemblage to strike, she said they should “stop everything successful bid to prevention our hostages and our soldiers.”

“My hubby and nan different hostages are facing utmost danger,” Miran-Lavi added.

Hamas, different militants and Palestinian civilians seized astir 250 hostages during nan Oct. 7, 2023, violent attack. Of nan 50 hostages who stay successful Gaza, astir 20 are believed to beryllium alive.

The families person called for nan onslaught to return spot Sunday, according to nan Reuters news agency.

The Israeli information Cabinet had approved nan demolition of Hamas strongholds successful nan “central camps” and Al-Mawasi, In summation to Gaza City, Netanyahu said Sunday.

“The timeline that we group for nan action is reasonably quickly,” he said. “We want, first of all, to alteration safe zones to beryllium established truthful nan civilian organization of Gaza City tin move out.”

Israel’s extremity was not to enactment successful Gaza — conscionable free it of Hamas, Netanyahu added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a news convention successful Jerusalem connected Sunday.Abir Sultan / AFP - Getty Images

“We person 2 remaining strongholds, OK? These are Gaza City and nan cardinal camps and Mawasi,” he said.

According to nan United Nations, nan camps are lodging much than a half-million Palestinians displaced during Israel’s subject run triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 violent attack, successful which 1,200 group were killed.

The goals, he said, included demilitarizing nan full Palestinian territory, pinch nan Israeli subject having “overriding information control” but a non-Israeli civilian management taking charge.

He besides continued to contradict location was starvation successful Gaza, claiming nan business is being exaggerated. “No 1 successful Gaza would person survived aft 2 years of war” if Israel was implementing a “starvation policy,” Netanyahu said.

More than 200 Palestinians person died from utmost malnutrition successful Gaza, according to Palestinian wellness officials, moreover arsenic Israel allows much assistance to trickle into nan territory.

According to section wellness officials, much than 61,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children, person been killed since Israel began its subject run Oct. 7, 2023, aft Hamas’ violent attack.

A mourner carries nan assemblage aft an Israeli bombing successful Khan Younis connected July 28. AFP - Getty Images

World leaders besides condemned Netanyahu’s caller scheme astatine an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting.

“Expanding subject operations will only endanger nan lives of each civilians successful Gaza, including nan remaining hostages, and consequence successful further unnecessary suffering,” Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia and Britain said successful a associated statement. “This is simply a manmade crisis, and truthful urgent action is needed to halt starvation and to surge assistance into Gaza.”

Later Sunday, Al Jazeera said 5 of its unit members — Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa — were killed “in a targeted Israeli onslaught connected a shelter lodging journalists successful Gaza City.”

The Israeli subject said that al-Sharif was “the caput of a violent compartment successful nan Hamas violent statement and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”

Al-Sharif and nan Qatar-owned broadcaster person antecedently denied accusations that he was a terrorist.