Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the Israeli army to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip. After a US-brokered ceasefire in October, Israeli forces withdrew to a line that left Israel controlling 53% of the occupied territory. Since then, Israeli forces advanced westward into the Hamas-controlled area and declared an expanding no-man’s-land where they decide who can enter and who can be fired upon. Israeli-backed militias have helped empty areas along the ceasefire line by telling residents to leave homes or shelters. During the ceasefire, Israeli forces continued firing on Palestinians within range of the line and carried out airstrikes deeper into western Gaza, killing more than 900 Palestinians. Israel’s defense minister described an ultimate aim of large-scale Palestinian departure framed as voluntary migration, which human rights activists characterize as ethnic cleansing through intolerable conditions.
"Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has given orders to the Israeli army to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip in a move that threatens to torpedo an already fragile ceasefire and create catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the already devastated territory."
"Under the US-brokered ceasefire in October, the Israeli army withdrew to a demarcation line which gave Israel direct control of 53% of the occupied territory. Since then, Israeli forces have steadily advanced their positions westward into the Hamas-controlled half of the strip, and declared an ever-expanded no man's land west of that, within which they claim the right to decide who can enter and open fire on anyone perceived as a threat."
"In recent days, Israeli-backed armed militias have taken a leading role in emptying the territory along the ceasefire line, telling residents to vacate their homes or shelters. Throughout the eight months of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued to open fire on Palestinians within range of the yellow line splitting the strip, and carry out airstrikes deeper inside western Gaza, killing more than 900 Palestinians since the truce began."
"The Israeli prime minister said: We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory in the strip. You know, we were at 50, we moved to 60. My directive is to move to 70%. The defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Wednesday that the government's ultimate aim was for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza by what he called voluntary migration but what human rights activists describe as a long-term plan for ethnic cleansing by making living conditions inside Gaza intolerable."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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