Israel threatens to retake Gaza with or without Hamas ceasefire

Palestinian medics told to prepare for 'full evacuation' of Gaza city

Israel has said it will conquer Gaza regardless of any ceasefire agreement with Hamas, as it increased its new offensive in the strip.

At least 11 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombings in Gaza city, local media said. The Israeli army told doctors to prepare for a "full evacuation" as it aims to seize the city and force its residents south.

The Israeli war plan "requires you to prepare a plan to transfer the medical equipment from north to south, so that you will be able to provide treatment for all the patients in the southern strip", an Israeli army officer told medical officials in Gaza. Arab countries have repeatedly warned against Palestinians being displaced.

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Saudi Arabia was leading Arab diplomatic efforts on Thursday as it condemned "dangerous Israeli plans" to expand the war and build new settlements on Palestinian land.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in the kingdom's Neom region. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held phone calls a day earlier with foreign ministers from Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

Qatar and Egypt have proposed a 60-day truce and the release of some Israeli hostages. Hamas said it could accept the terms, while Israel has not formally responded but given every indication it plans to proceed with the war.

Israel says it has taken first steps of military operation in Gaza city

Israel says it has taken first steps of military operation in Gaza city

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Asked by Sky News Australia whether Israel would retake Gaza even if Hamas accepted a deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would.

"We're going to do that anyway. There was never a question that we're not going to leave Hamas there," he said.

Late on Thursday he said Israel was ready for "immediate negotiations" to end the war in Gaza. It was not known if his comments amount to a shift in Israel's position or are just rhetoric about ramping up pressure on Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu said he had met troops to "approve the plans" for the capture of Gaza city. "At the same time, I have instructed to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and the end of the war on terms acceptable to Israel," he said.

"These two things – defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages – go hand in hand."

Authorities in Gaza said the war's death toll reached 62,192 on Thursday, with two more people pronounced dead from malnutrition. Palestinian news agency Wafa said 11 people were killed in two separate air strikes in the Al Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza city. Israel has resisted pleas from the Arab world and beyond to call off a campaign that has left many Gazans starving in desperate conditions.

Many Gazans are living in desperate conditions under an Israeli blockade. AFP

A report by British, Israeli and Palestinian news outlets claimed that 83 per cent of Palestinians killed during the Gaza war were civilians, quoting Israel's own intelligence database. The Israeli army denied the claims by Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, and The Guardian.

“That proportion of civilians among those killed would be unusually high, particularly as it has been going on for such a long time,” said Therese Pettersson from the Uppsala Conflict Data Programme, which tracks civilian casualties worldwide.

'Pressure cooker' tactics

Two former Israeli officials told The National that Mr Netanyahu's new war plan appeared designed to push Gazans out for good. Israel wants to "create a pressure cooker there and wait for it to explode, and for people to cross the border to Sinai and do the ethnic cleansing of Gaza”, said former hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin.

Eran Etzion, a former head of Israel's National Security Council, said Mr Netanyahu "is not interested in a deal … because he is fully committed to an overarching strategy of annihilation of the two-state solution, first in Gaza then the West Bank".

A planning committee signed off on Wednesday on the construction of 3,400 homes in a wedge of land east of Jerusalem known as E1. One far-right Israeli minister has said the new settlements would "bury" Palestinian statehood.

A group of 21 mainly European countries said on Thursday that the move "brings no benefits to the Israeli people". "Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace," said the countries, including Britain and France. The UK separately announced it had summoned Israel's ambassador Tzipi Hotovely over the plan.