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Israeli officials confirmed Monday that the goal of their renewed military onslaught is the "complete occupation" of the Gaza Strip, as the devastating campaign continues with escalating casualties and international scrutiny.
Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, announced that Israel's strategy is now focused on occupying Gaza entirely. "There is no choice left," Zohar told public broadcaster KAN, despite acknowledging the risks involved for those still in captivity.
He suggested that the ongoing assault is aimed at forcing the Palestinian group Hamas to release Israeli captives and leave Gaza.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed Zohar’s statements, emphasizing that Israel will no longer avoid using the term "occupation." Speaking to Channel 13, Smotrich declared, "We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation.’"
The controversial minister added that Israel intends to control all humanitarian aid to ensure it does not fall into Hamas's hands. "Gaza’s population will be displaced to the south of the enclave, where aid will be distributed under Israeli security supervision," he stated.
Smotrich went further, stating that once Israel occupies Gaza, there will be "no retreat from the territories we have conquered, not even in exchange for hostages."
In a statement issued early Monday, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli Security Cabinet had unanimously approved a plan to expand its military operations within Gaza, with a focus on occupying more territories inside the enclave.
The announcement comes amid mounting reports of civilian casualties and widespread destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes and home demolitions across Gaza.
The Israeli military's actions continue to claim civilian lives. At least 29 Palestinians were reported killed in airstrikes across Gaza on Monday. Medical sources confirmed the deaths of four people in a strike on a café in Shejaiya, Gaza City, while a Palestinian boy was among the fatalities in a drone strike in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that 15 people were killed and 10 others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential apartment in Al-Karama, while additional strikes killed more civilians in Beit Lahia and Khan Younis. Home demolitions by Israeli forces are also continuing in various parts of Gaza, including eastern Gaza City and Rafah.
Since October 2023, over 52,500 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli onslaught, with the majority being women and children.
The escalation in Gaza has drawn widespread international condemnation. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
Despite these legal challenges, Israeli officials remain defiant, pushing forward with their military objectives in the face of mounting civilian deaths and calls for a cease-fire.
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