Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would complete its military objectives in Gaza and force out at least 50% of the population.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu said even if Israel agrees to a temporary pause for the release of hostages, it will resume its military operations in Gaza. “We in the coming days will be entering with all our strength to complete the process… to subdue Hamas,” he said, adding that “it could be that Hamas will say ‘pause, we want to release another 10 hostages.’ Ok, release them. We will receive them and after that enter. But there will not be a situation where we stop the war.”
Hamas has long sought a deal with Tel Aviv to release the hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the conflict. Israel has repeatedly rejected this proposal and often sabotaged diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting and free the Israeli captives.
Last week, Haaretz reported that freeing the captives was the least important Israeli military objective in Gaza. Removing the Palestinians from the Strip was listed as a higher priority.
In his remarks, Netanyahu confirmed that Tel Aviv was working to fund countries to take in Palestinian refugees, believing that at least half could be forced out of their homeland. “But there is one problem, we need countries to receive them,” he continued. “This is what we are working on right now. If you give them an exit, I am telling you that more than 50 percent will leave, in my opinion much more.”
Many top Israeli officials have said throughout the military campaign that a result of the conflict must be the removal of the civilian population from Gaza. Washington and Tel Aviv have approached a number of countries about taking the Palestinians. However, so far, no country has publicly stated a willingness to accept Palestinian refugees.
While Tel Aviv has framed the removal of Palestinians from Gaza as voluntary migration, the reality is that Israel has used a massive bombing and starvation campaign to create a famine in the Strip. The World Health Organization reports 57 Palestinian children have starved to death since early March.
Gaza is currently under a full Israeli blockade with no food, fuel or medicine entering the Strip since March 2. Community kitchens and aid organizations have shuttered due to a lack of supplies, leaving millions without access to food.
At the same time, Israel has unleashed a ruthless air war on Gaza. On Tuesday, Israeli war planes pummeled the European Hospital and the surrounding area, killing at least 16.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.
