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Israeli military forces have begun the initial stages of their planned occupation of Gaza City, with troops already positioned on the outskirts of the densely populated area, Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin announced Wednesday evening.
The operation, dubbed "Gideon's War Chariots 2," follows Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's approval Tuesday of plans to occupy the city, home to more than 1 million Palestinians.
The Israeli military is mobilizing 60,000 reservists for deployment in early September and extending the service of an additional 20,000 troops.
"We have begun the preliminary actions and the initial stages of the offensive on Gaza City, and already now Israeli army forces are holding positions on the outskirts of Gaza City," Defrin told reporters during a press briefing at the Defense Ministry.
The Israeli army announced it has struck more than 10,000 "targets" in the Gaza Strip since March 18, claiming to have occupied approximately 75% of the 360-square-kilometer territory where more than 2 million people face genocide.
Israeli forces have launched attacks in the Zeitoun area surrounding Gaza City as part of occupation preparations, with five divisions simultaneously participating in operations across Gaza, according to military officials.
"We will intensify the strikes on Hamas in Gaza City, the political and military stronghold of the terror organization," Defrin stated, while claiming efforts to "minimize harm to civilians" through evacuation warnings.
The Israeli military spokesperson addressed criticism from families of Israeli hostages who fear the occupation could endanger their relatives' lives: "We are in coordination with the hostage families," and "the hostages are a priority for us."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the military to complete the Gaza City occupation faster than initially planned, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
Netanyahu told the military to complete the occupation aimed at "defeating Hamas" in a shorter timeframe than determined, the statement said. He described his goal as capturing what he called "the last terror strongholds" in Gaza while "shortening the timelines."
In an interview before the Aug. 8 cabinet meeting, Netanyahu stated that Israel aims to occupy the entire Gaza Strip. The security cabinet approved the occupation plan for northern Gaza City on that date.
According to the approved plan, the occupation will proceed in two phases:
The Israeli military shared graphics showing how Palestinians have been forcibly displaced toward a 25% area along the coastal strip since March 18, describing Gaza as having the world's highest population density.
"We are continuing to allow humanitarian aid for the residents of the Strip and are even expanding it—with additional central aid distribution points," Defrin said.
Hamas issued a written statement condemning the operation as a continuation of what it calls a 22-month "genocide" and a dismissal of mediators' ceasefire efforts.
"The occupation plan for Gaza will fail like the previous ones. Israel will not achieve the goals it set for this plan, and the occupation of Gaza cannot be approached 'as if going to entertainment,'" Hamas stated.
The Palestinian group noted it had accepted a ceasefire proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar on Aug. 18, but Israel had not responded. Hamas accused Netanyahu of "disregarding" the mediators' proposal, stating this shows "he is the one who breaks agreements, doesn't care about the hostages' lives, and is not serious about getting them back."
Hamas called on mediators to apply "maximum pressure" on Israel to stop "genocide against the Palestinian people."
The statement characterized the plan as a continuation of "the brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City". It accused Netanyahu of insisting on continuing "the savage war he is waging against innocent civilians" to destroy Gaza City and displace its people southward.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire "to avoid the death and destruction" an assault would "inevitably cause."
French President Emmanuel Macron warned Wednesday that the operation "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war."
The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that further displacement and intensification of hostilities "risk worsening an already catastrophic situation" for Gaza's 2.1 million population.
Israel occupied the Gaza Strip for 38 years from 1967 to 2005. The territory, home to approximately 2.3 million Palestinians today, has been under severe blockade for 18 years.
The Israeli military claims to have killed about 2,000 Hamas members since March 18. According to Israeli media reports, the military received orders to occupy the rest of Gaza, though implementation was not expected before September.
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