Israel has decided to occupy the Gaza Strip. What the media is writing
The Israeli Government has approved a plan to occupy the Gaza Strip, despite objections from the army. Tel Aviv will seek the disarmament of the radical Hamas group and the release of the remaining 50 hostages. At the same time, public opinion in Israel itself is shifting towards sympathy for the Palestinians affected by the conflict. What the media write about the new round of escalation is in the Izvestia digest.
The New York Times: Israel approves plan to capture all of Gaza, despite military warnings
Early on Friday morning, the Israeli government approved a plan for a gradual military takeover of all of Gaza, which contradicted the recommendations of the Israeli army and risked bringing the nearly two-year-old war to new territories. After 10 hours of discussions, the majority of members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security committee supported his proposal to prepare for the capture of the central part of Gaza City, his office said in a statement.
The New York Times
"The goal is a decisive victory over Hamas, which organized the attack on October 7, 2023, which marked the beginning of the war," the statement said. — The plan also provides for the provision of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population "outside the combat zones."
In the future, the Israeli army is expected to launch an offensive on the central areas of the enclave, where, according to assumptions, Hamas is holding Israeli hostages. The Cabinet also approved five principles for ending the war, including the disarmament of Hamas, the return of all 50 hostages, and the demilitarization of Gaza. According to Netanyahu, Israel does not intend to maintain permanent control over Gaza, but plans to transfer its civil administration to another party.
The Independent: the opposition leader criticized the decision on Gas
Opposition leader and chairman of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid on Friday sharply criticized the decision of the security cabinet to approve Netanyahu's plan to seize Gaza. Lapid called it a "disaster," saying it would lead to a lot of new disasters. He noted that unlike the military and security agencies, which warned of negative consequences, politicians Itmar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich dragged Netanyahu into a move that would require months of fighting, lead to the deaths of hostages and soldiers, cost tens of billions to Israeli taxpayers and lead to a diplomatic collapse.
The Independent
"This is exactly what Hamas wanted: for Israel to be trapped in this territory without a purpose, without defining the picture of tomorrow, in a senseless occupation, no one understands what this will lead to," Lapid added. "The decision of the security cabinet is a disaster for generations," Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, supported Lapid.
Golan noted that the decision contradicts the opinion of the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, who warned of the numerous dangers of such a step. He also stated that this decision represents a death sentence for the hostages and leads to a large number of victims. In response, the leader of the Israel Beitenu party, Avigdor Lieberman, stressed that the cabinet's decision goes against professional opinion, and pointed out that decisions concerning life and death are made contrary to security considerations.
The Washington Post: Israeli media is changing its attitude towards the Palestinians
For almost two years of the Gaza war, Israeli news broadcasts have focused almost exclusively on Israeli casualties: hostages, both alive and dead, as well as dead soldiers. The suffering of the civilian population in Gaza, where nearly 2 million people have been displaced and critical infrastructure destroyed, has barely been covered. According to journalists and media experts, there was an unspoken rule in Israel that mostly kept Palestinian civilians out of sight when reporting on the war.
The Washington Post
But last month, amid reports of mass starvation in the enclave and growing international outrage, news of the worsening crisis began to make its way. The flood of images and condemnations, even from Israel's allies, has given Israeli journalists a "path to history," said one prominent journalist, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue. "You can see how much they've been waiting for this," she said.
For the first time, the media began showing footage of Gazan civilians, including men carrying sacks of food from humanitarian aid distribution points and screaming children crowding around the remaining soup kitchens. These videos showing the consequences of the Israeli blockade have become an important moment showing the scale of the humanitarian crisis. Israeli TV presenters such as Yonit Levy have also begun to make openly harsh remarks about the moral consequences of what is happening.
Bloomberg: Israel is becoming an international pariah
With the increasing number of images of starving Palestinians, the pressure on Israel is growing, demanding not only a significant increase in food supplies and a cessation of hostilities, but also recognition of the Palestinian State. Thousands of people have died in almost two years of war, Hamas has not been destroyed, and hostages are still being held — Israel is turning into a global pariah. But despite growing international criticism, including arms embargoes, arrest warrants, and cultural boycotts, Israel is not only ignoring this pressure, but also rethinking itself. Once a secular, beleaguered state with a developed economy, it is turning into an aggressive war machine with a per capita GDP higher than in the UK and a populist ethno-religious government.
Bloomberg
"Israel has made profound changes that can be seen in many countries — the rise of populism," said Dan Meridor, a former minister in Benjamin Netanyahu's government."There is another issue — we are facing the growth of those for whom Zionism is not a human movement of national revival, but a process of divine redemption."
Israel's actions over the past year have dramatically changed the strategic balance in the region. In response to Iran-backed hostility, Israel has killed the leadership of Lebanese Hezbollah and most of its long-range missiles, attacked the Houthis in Yemen, and severely damaged Iran's nuclear and ballistic programs. Israel also continues to strengthen its influence in Syria and the West Bank by increasing Jewish settlements and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Reuters: The United States has offered Lebanon a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year
The United States has presented Lebanon with a proposal to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year, as well as end Israeli military operations in the country and withdraw Israeli troops from five positions in southern Lebanon. The plan was presented by U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to the region, Tom Barrack, and is being discussed at a meeting of Lebanon's Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday. The proposal was the most detailed plan to disarm the Iran-backed group, which has rejected calls for disarmament since the war with Israel last year.
Reuters
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morkos said that after the cabinet meeting, only the achievement of the goals of the Barrack plan was approved, but the details of the proposal were not discussed. "We have not delved into the details or components of the US proposal. Our discussion and decision were limited only to his goals," Morkos said.
According to the US proposal, Lebanon should gradually withdraw the armed presence of Hezbollah and other non-state actors, as well as deploy Lebanese army forces in key border and interior areas. The plan also includes resolving issues with prisoners through indirect negotiations and the final demarcation of Lebanon's borders with Israel and Syria. The plan includes several phases, including disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the start of rebuilding Lebanon's infrastructure.
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