BENJAMIN Netanyahu has said that all of Gaza will be under Israel's control by the end of its offensive in the territory.
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the Israeli prime minister said Israeli forces have “pounded” their enemy and have withstood “incredible” amounts of pressure to stop the war.
Netanyahu said he made the decision to begin the next stage of the war, named Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which is Israel’s latest ground offensive in Gaza, three days ago.
He told journalists: “At the end of this campaign, all of the territories of the Gaza Strip will be under Israel’s security control.”
Netanyahu said that those who are calling on Israel to stop the fighting before its goals are achieved are “basically calling for keeping Hamas in control of Gaza”.
He also described the US President Donald Trump's plan to ethnically cleanse the region by moving Palestinians to neighbouring countries and redevelop the territory for occupation as “correct” and “revolutionary”.
Palestinians have rejected Trump’s proposal to resettle much of their population elsewhere, viewing it as expulsion from their homeland after Israel’s offensive left much of the territory uninhabitable.
Human rights experts have also warned that implementing the plan would likely violate international law.
The Israeli prime minister also said that his country has achieved “a lot” in its “clear and justified” goal of defeating Hamas, adding that their work “isn’t over yet”.
Netanyahu's press conference follows a joint statement issued by Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Mark Carney – the leaders of France, the UK and Canada – threatening “concrete actions” if Israel continues its renewed military push in Gaza on Monday.
The joint statement said that the denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is “unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law”.
The UK, France, and Canada also said they may introduce “targeted sanctions” in response to expanded settlements in the West Bank by the Israeli government.
The statement said: “The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law. We condemn the abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli Government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate. Permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law.
“Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.
“We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.”
