Israeli defense officials told Haaretz on Sunday that the Israeli government is not seeking to revive ceasefire talks with Hamas and is now pushing for the gradual annexation of large portions of the Gaza Strip.
The report came about a week after Israel ordered Palestinians living in northern Gaza to evacuate to areas south of the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land controlled by the Israeli military. With the evacuation order came a major escalation in Israeli military operations in the north focused on the Jabalia refugee camp, which has been under complete siege.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has reported that Israeli forces in Jabalia are carrying out a “scaled-down” version of the “general’s plan,” an outline for the complete ethnic cleansing of northern Gaza and the killing of any Palestinians who choose to stay, whether by military action or starvation. The UN’s World Food Program said Saturday that no food aid has entered northern Gaza since October 1.
Israeli Army commanders told Haaretz that the assault on northern Gaza was ordered without much preparation and that it appeared the primary purpose of the military operations was to pressure Palestinian residents to flee to the south. Many Palestinians have refused to leave northern Gaza since there’s nowhere they can go where their safety can be guaranteed. Israel has bombed so-called “safe zones” repeatedly over the past year.
The Haaretz report said Israeli troops were ordered to launch the assault on Jabalia “even though there was no intelligence to justify the move” and that some members of the Israeli security establishment didn’t support the operation, saying it would endanger the lives of Israeli hostages.
If Israel is successful in cleansing northern Gaza of its Palestinian population, it would pave the way for the establishment of Jewish-only settlements in the area, an idea openly supported by many Israeli ministers and Knesset members. The general’s plan calls for the tactics to be used in other parts of the Strip once the north is cleansed.
