The large-scale attack by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip will begin “in the coming days”. This was announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, May 13.
According to him, the purpose of the attack is to achieve a complete victory over HAMAS, who attacked Israel, and to free the last hostages held by them.
Previously, Netanyahu promised in a meeting with wounded reservists that Israel would soon begin an attack “with full force” on the Gaza Strip to “conclude the campaign”. According to his words, even if HAMAS proposes to release the hostages, Israel would not agree to end the war.
“It is possible to reach a temporary peace, but it is impossible to end the long-term war,” said the Prime Minister of Israel.
The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher criticized Israel's actions in Gaza, saying that Israel is deliberately and shamelessly imposing inhuman conditions on the civilian population in the occupied Palestinian territory.
According to Fletcher, the lack of humanitarian aid has left all 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip at risk of widespread famine.
“For more than ten weeks nothing has reached Gaza – no food, no medicine, no water, no tents,” said the UN's emergency relief coordinator.
He called on the Israeli government to “stop killing and injuring civilians”, to end “this cruel blockade”, and to allow humanitarian workers to save lives.
At the same time, Fletcher appealed to HAMAS and other Palestinian armed groups to “immediately and unconditionally release all hostages and not endanger civilians during military operations”.
Previously, French President Emmanuel Macron had also criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
In turn, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized the necessity of “immediately delivering humanitarian aid to the civilian population” during a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
According to Israeli media reports, the start of Israel's new attack in the Gaza Strip should not be expected before the conclusion of US President Donald Trump's three-day visit to the Persian Gulf region, which began on May 13 in Saudi Arabia and includes visits to Qatar and the UAE.
