Israel Approves New Gaza Offensive Framework Amid Escalating Strikes and Famine Warnings
The Israeli military announced Wednesday that it has approved the operational framework for a fresh offensive in the Gaza Strip, just days after the security cabinet formally ordered the seizure of Gaza City.
According to a statement from the army, Armed Forces Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has signed off on the main outline for the Israel Defense Forces’ next phase of operations.
No official timetable has been set for a ground push into Gaza City the territory’s largest and most crowded urban center — where tens of thousands have taken shelter after fleeing earlier waves of fighting.
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported a surge in intense Israeli airstrikes on the city in recent days, with the neighborhoods of Zeitoun and Sabra hit “very heavily,” including strikes on residential blocks and possibly high-rise buildings.
The military’s green light comes just hours after Hamas confirmed that a senior delegation had arrived in Cairo for initial talks with Egyptian mediators over a temporary truce.
The move to broaden the war now grinding into its 23rd month has drawn sharp criticism abroad and stirred political tensions at home. International agencies warn of a deepening humanitarian disaster: UN-backed experts say famine conditions are spreading as Israel continues to severely limit humanitarian aid into the enclave.
The conflict erupted after Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which killed 1,219 people in Israel, according to official figures compiled by AFP.
Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 61,599 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures the United Nations says are credible.
