Despair around world at Israel's plans for Gaza 'conquest'

Palestinians determined not to relocate again as UN condemns Israeli aid plan

Israel's military is believed to be planning a wider offensive in Gaza after calling up thousands of reservists. Reuters

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Israel was roundly condemned on Tuesday for plans to seize control of Gaza in a wider offensive that one minister said would leave the strip "entirely destroyed".

Residents of Gaza told The National they were terrified of an Israeli assault that could force them to flee their homes yet again. An Israeli plan for aid to be delivered to famine-threatened Palestinians in zones run by private security guards was rejected by the UN.

While Israel's new war plans have not been officially announced, they are believed to include a wider ground operation and an indefinite "conquest" of Gaza. Hamas issued a warning that the new military plans would endanger the lives of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group.

Gazans defiant

Some Gazans are rejecting calls to move south and vowing to remain in their homes despite the humanitarian crisis. Mohammed Harb, 37, who was displaced from Sheikh Radwan to the Al Mawasi zone in Khan Younis, said he would rather die in the ruins of his home than repeat his traumatic displacement.

“The experience of relocating to the south is something I will never repeat. What we lived through there was inhumane," he told The National.

He described leaving the north as “the biggest mistake” of his life. "Yes, the north is also suffering, famine is spreading and things get worse by the day, but at least I’m in my home. It's better to die here than be displaced again."

Palestinians carry their belongings after Israel demolished their homes in the West Bank. Reuters

Yahya Shaheen, 29, who lives in Gaza city, described the Israeli threats as part of a psychological warfare campaign. “The occupation is not just relying on bombs and destruction, it’s using hunger and psychological pressure to manipulate civilians, intimidate them, and push them into fleeing again," he told The National.

He believes this strategy is designed to increase pressure on Palestinian factions and to create public demand for concessions. “From the very start of the war, Israel has used psychological tactics as a weapon. It wants to shake people’s morale and break their will.”

A Hamas statement said Israel had made a "clear decision to sacrifice Israeli captives and to repeat the same failed policies pursued over the past 18 months". It accused Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing war crimes against civilians with US connivance.

"This is our land, and we will remain on it, no matter how brutal the occupation becomes," the group said.

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, meanwhile, said a victory in the war would mean that Gaza is "entirely destroyed". Civilians would be sent to a humanitarian zone and then "start to leave in great numbers", he said.

Diplomatic outrage

Several foreign governments expressed concern on Tuesday over Israel's latest moves.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the country "very strongly" condemns Israel's plans for a new military offensive. "It's unacceptable," he said in a radio interview in which he warned the Israeli government it was "in violation of humanitarian law".

China is "highly concerned about the current Palestine-Israel situation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. "We oppose Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza, and hope all parties continuously and effectively implement the ceasefire agreement."

Israel aims to push Gaza's entire population south

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Qatar said it was still pursuing efforts for a new ceasefire after a truce collapsed in March. The Qatari Foreign Ministry remains in "continuous" contact with all parties, spokesman Majed Al Ansari said.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN's humanitarian affairs office, said Gazans had a "desperate need for food getting in" but were instead "getting bombs". He said the UN had flatly rejected Israel's proposal to deliver supplies at hubs overseen by the Israeli military.

The plan is being boycotted by the UN and other international NGOs who say they will not be complicit in military action. It would "not live up to the core fundamental humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality and independent delivery of aid," Mr Laerke said.

Aid must be given "based on needs and nothing else", he said as he warned of a "deliberate attempt to weaponise the aid. He added that the proposed system seemed "designed to further control and restrict supplies, which is the opposite of what is needed".

Crowded tents in a temporary camp for displaced Palestinians in Gaza city. Bloomberg

Defiance and desperation

As Gaza’s humanitarian conditions worsen and threats of a renewed offensive loom, residents remain trapped between defiance and desperation, clinging to what little remains of their homes, while preparing for the worst.

Mohsen Ghanem, 42,who returned to northern Gaza after his home was destroyed, expressed deep concern that Israel may carry out its plans. “The situation is terrifying. The occupation is brutal and might truly implement what it threatens," he said.

Although Mr Ghanem is committed to staying, he acknowledged that if another military assault begins, he would be forced to move south again with his family. He has seven children. The famine, he said, leaves people with little choice.

“Right now, we’re living through a severe famine. If aid is only distributed in Rafah in the future, then many of us will have no option but to go there. Hunger is swallowing us, and soon we won’t be able to feed our children.”