CAIRO/JERUSALEM, May 18 (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Sunday that the military had initiated “extensive ground operations” in the northern and southern regions of Gaza, and as a result, the blockade will be relaxed and limited quantities of food will be permitted to enter the enclave.
Israel has intensified its campaign in Gaza, where Palestinian health officials have reported that hundreds of individuals have been killed in attacks in the past week, including 130 overnight, in response to the increasing pressure it is facing due to an aid blockade it implemented in March and the potential for catastrophe.
“In order to prevent a hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip, Israel will permit a basic quantity of food to be distributed to the population, as recommended by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and in order to facilitate the expansion of intense combat to defeat Hamas,” stated Netanyahu’s office.
Eri Kaneko, a spokesperson for U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher, verified that the agency has been approached by Israeli authorities to “resume limited aid delivery.” She also stated that discussions are currently underway regarding the logistics, which are “given the conditions on the ground.”
After sources on both sides reported that there had been no progress in a new round of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Qatar, Israel made its announcement.
Netanyahu stated that the negotiations encompassed discussions regarding a truce and hostage agreement, as well as a proposal to conclude the conflict in exchange for the exile of Hamas militants and the demilitarization of the enclave—conditions that Hamas has previously rejected.
The Israeli military subsequently indicated that it could continue to reduce operations in order to assist in the negotiation of a deal in Doha. According to the statement, military chief Eyal Zamir informed troops in Gaza that the army would offer the leaders of the country the flexibility necessary to negotiate a hostage agreement.
Israel’s military has announced that it has conducted a preliminary salvo of strikes on over 670 Hamas targets in Gaza over the past week to support “Gideon’s Chariots,” its new ground operation that is designed to establish “operational control” in certain areas of the enclave. It claimed to have slain numerous Hamas fighters.
According to the Health Ministry of Gaza, at least 464 Palestinians were slain in the week preceding Sunday.
Khalil Al-Deqran, spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry, informed Reuters via telephone that the civil registration record was obliterated by an Israeli bombardment that occurred overnight.
According to Gaza health authorities, the Israeli campaign has caused widespread devastation in Gaza, displacing nearly all of its two million residents from their homes and resulting in the deaths of over 53,000 individuals, many of whom were civilians.
Since the beginning of March, Israel has prohibited the entry of medical, food, and fuel supplies into Gaza in an effort to coerce Hamas into releasing its hostages. Additionally, Israel has authorized plans that could result in the seizure of the entire Gaza Strip and the regulation of assistance.
International experts have issued a warning regarding the imminent onset of famine.
When questioned about the Qatar talks, a Hamas official informed Reuters that “Israel’s stance remains unaltered; they are seeking to release the hostages without a commitment to end the war.”
The Hamas official stated that the organization was still considering the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for the cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the lifting of the aid blockade on Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
According to a senior Israeli official, the negotiations have not made any progress thus far.
Israel’s stated objective in Gaza is to eliminate Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities. Hamas launched an attack on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, the majority of whom were civilians, and the seizure of 251 captives.
Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, stated that Netanyahu was refusing to end the conflict in exchange for the hostages for political reasons in Israel.
“The Israeli government continues to prioritize only partial agreements.” They are intentionally torturing us. Please, return our children. In a social media post, Zangauker stated, “All 58 of them.”
ABLAZE TENTS
Medics reported that a tent encampment in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, that was housing displaced families was struck by one of Israel’s overnight attacks, resulting in the deaths of women and children, injury to dozens, and the setting of tents ablaze.
The Indonesian Hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in northern Gaza, was reported to have ceased operations as a result of Israeli bombardment by the health ministry of Gaza later on Sunday.
The Israeli military declared that its forces were concentrating on “terrorist infrastructure sites” in northern Gaza, which included the vicinity of the Indonesian hospital.
On Sunday, Hamas did not corroborate or deny reports in Arab and Israeli media that its leader, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed in airstrikes on a tunnel beneath another hospital in Gaza’s southern region last week.
The healthcare system in Gaza is scarcely operational, and the blockade on aid has exacerbated its challenges. Hamas denies that it has stolen aid, a charge that Israel has accused it of committing.
Al-Deqran, the spokesperson for the health ministry, stated that hospitals are experiencing an increasing number of casualties, with a significant number of them being minors.
The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service reported that 75% of its ambulances were unable to operate due to gasoline shortages. It forewarned that all vehicles may cease operations within 72 hours.
