The Israeli military will take control of the entire Gaza Strip and destroy the Hamas group as part of operation Gideon’s Chariots, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
At the end of the operation, all of the Gaza Strip will be under Israeli control, and the Hamas group will be completely defeated, Israeli media quoted the prime minister as saying.
According to him, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is taking control of “more and more territories to clear them of terrorists and Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure.”
Earlier in May, Israel launched a large-scale ground operation called “Gideon’s Chariots” in the Palestinian enclave. The IDF explained the operation as “necessary to completely destroy the Hamas group and free the hostages.”
14,000 babies could die in Gaza under Israeli aid blockade
Meanwhile, about 14,000 children could die in Gaza if humanitarian aid does not arrive on time, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said on Wednesday.
Although Israel said it would allow “basic aid” to be delivered to Gaza, only five trucks entered the enclave on Monday, two of which were carrying shrouds to help bury Palestinians killed by Israeli bombs. Others entered Gaza but were blocked by occupation forces and did not reach the Palestinians. This was the first aid delivery since March 2, when Israel completely blocked the enclave. Fletcher explained this is “a drop in the ocean” and completely insufficient for a population of more than 2.3 million people who have been denied aid for 80 days.
“Tons of food are blocked at the border with the Gaza Strip,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the UN, the Gaza Strip needs at least 500 trucks with humanitarian aid per day to meet the basic needs of the population.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), called what is happening in Gaza “genocide” and wrote on X:
“The West has lined up behind the inseparable duo of Netanyahu and any North American government. Who would have thought that the world would remain silent while genocide is taking place? Those who remain silent or look the other way are complicit in these crimes.”
