Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip, as the military ramps up air strikes on the besieged Palestinian territory.
In a video statement, addressing the imminent entry of a small number of aid trucks into Gaza, the first in nearly two months, Netanyahu said the decision was made to avoid international backlash.
“The fighting is intense, and we are making progress. We’re going to take control of the entire Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said in the video, which was posted to his Telegram channel.
He added that while Israel would not “give up,” it must act “in a way that cannot be stopped” to secure victory.
“We must not let the population of Gaza sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,” he said.
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Netanyahu revealed that close allies, including pro-Israel US senators, had urged him to allow some humanitarian aid to avoid images of mass starvation, which could undermine international support.
“Our best friends in the world, senators who are passionate supporters of Israel, came to me and said they would provide all the assistance needed to achieve victory: weapons, backing for eliminating Hamas, and protection at the UN Security Council,” Netanyahu said.
“But there’s one thing they said they cannot support: images of mass starvation. ‘We cannot stand by you in that situation,’ they told me. So, in order to achieve victory, we must address that problem.”
More to follow…