The biggest and shocking news of this time is coming out from West Asia (Middle East). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a very aggressive announcement on Thursday, has given a direct order to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to establish complete military control over 70 percent of the Gaza Strip. This step of Netanyahu is being considered a clear and open violation of the very delicate international ceasefire agreement that came into force in October last year.
In an official video broadcast by Israel’s prestigious ‘Channel 12’, PM Netanyahu was seen clarifying his strategy in a very harsh tone while addressing a conference organized in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu bluntly said, “We are taking the military pressure on Hamas to its peak at this time. At present we have direct control over 60 percent of the Gaza Strip. Although under the terms of the ceasefire we were limited to only 50 percent, but now I have a clear instruction that the Israeli army should immediately increase its presence to 70 percent. We have surrounded Hamas from all sides and we will deal with the remaining 30 percent of the territory later in our own way.”
Peace deal completely stalled, Israeli army crossing ‘yellow line’
Let us tell you that after several months of fierce war, a peace agreement was reached between the two sides under international pressure. The first phase of this ceasefire included the release of the last remaining Israeli prisoners held by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks, in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners held in its prisons. It was only after this exchange that the firing in Gaza stopped for some time.
The second phase of the agreement included stringent provisions for complete disarmament of Hamas and gradual and phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, but this peace process has been completely stalled for the last several months. The original agreement required Israeli forces to withdraw beyond the Yellow Line in Gaza—the main dividing line between areas controlled by Hamas and occupied by Israel. But after this new order from Netanyahu, the Israeli army is crossing this limit and moving forward.
“Some people were saying leave, but we did not leave…” Netanyahu’s counterattack
Benjamin Netanyahu remains adamant on his insistence on completely occupying Gaza. Earlier on May 15, while addressing the nation, he had claimed that the Israeli army has strengthened its hold on Gaza more than ever.
Hitting back at global pressure and domestic opponents, Netanyahu had then said, “Some people at the international level were constantly telling us to get out of Gaza, to withdraw our forces from there. But we did not move even an inch from our position. How much part of Gaza do we control today? The entire 60 percent. What will happen tomorrow, we will see in the times to come.” It is noteworthy that daily violent clashes and bombings continue at the ground level in Gaza Strip. Both sides are continuously accusing each other of breaking the terms of the ceasefire that came into effect from October 10.
Hamas’s new chief Mohammad Odeh killed, now mega plan for ‘exodus’ of Palestinians!
According to the latest figures released by the Gaza Health Ministry (which operates under the Hamas administration and is recognized as fully credible by the United Nations), more than 900 Palestinians have lost their lives in violent actions and airstrikes by the Israeli military since the ceasefire came into force in October. Meanwhile, Israel on Wednesday claimed another major success and killed Mohammed Odeh, the new Supreme Commander of Hamas’s most dangerous armed wing ‘Izzedin al-Qassam Brigade’, in a precise operation. The shocking thing is that in the same month, Odeh’s previous commander was also killed by the Israeli intelligence agency.
Since the suicide attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the IDF has been selectively targeting top Hamas commanders in Gaza and the entire Middle East region. Mohammad Odeh is the fourth major brigade commander to be killed by Israel since the start of the war. After this major military success, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated his resolve in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, saying that Israel’s ultimate and only goal is to forever destroy the brutal regime of Hamas from the land of Gaza. Along with this, he pointed towards a very secret and big plan for ‘voluntary migration’ of Palestinian citizens from Gaza and said that this mega plan of Israel will be implemented at the right time and in the right way.
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