Qatar and Egypt, the mediators between Israel and Hamas, have reportedly given up any hope of preventing Israel’s destruction of Gaza City. The United States has agreed to Israel’s plan to take control and destroy Gaza City and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly set to convene the security cabinet on Aug. 26, for a discussion on ceasefire negotiations, Haaretz reported yesterday. The government does not intend to discuss the partial framework that Hamas has agreed to and that Israel backed just last month, Haaretz continues. Hamas is now facing two choices, Hamas sources told Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on Aug. 24. They can either accept the Israeli conditions for ending the war or fight “until their last breath.”
On Aug. 24, Sunday morning, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told government leaders that the military wouldn’t begin a major assault on Gaza City until a “humanitarian zone” is established for the city’s residents. Military operations would only begin after operational and legal preparations are complete, he said, despite Netanyahu’s demand to accelerate the operation.
So far, no such zones for displaced Palestinians have been established, meaning significant infrastructure work will be required. IDF officials note that the evacuation of Rafah took two weeks, and the estimate is that evacuating Gaza City, home to approximately 1.2 million people, will take more time.
But IDF operations are already underway in at least two Gaza City neighborhoods, Zeitoun and Shujayah. Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday, Aug. 23, and into Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as the IDF increased its troop presence in northern Gaza as part of an offensive aimed at bolstering the army’s control in the area, reported the Times of Israel.
The military said the forces, led by the 162nd Division, are working to dismantle Hamas capabilities in the area, including by destroying tunnels, “eliminating terrorists, and strengthening operational control over the area.”
“The troops’ activity enables the expansion of the fighting to additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning and operating in these areas,” the IDF claimed. In reality, the IDF’s aim is to prevent anybody from returning to these areas. The IDF is systematically depopulating these neighborhoods as they’ve already done to about 75% of Gaza.
