Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said May 28 that he had ordered the Israeli military to take over 70% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. “Let’s start with that,” he added. A day earlier, Minister of Defense Israel Katz said the government is planning for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the enclave “at the right time and in the right manner,” which rights groups say amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly voiced their intent to remove the vast majority of the Palestinian population from Gaza. Last October’s ceasefire agreement left Israel directly in control of 53% of the enclave’s territory and called for the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to pave the way for the withdrawal of Israeli forces. But implementation of all aspects of the agreement has stalled. As global attention has shifted elsewhere, Israel has created its own facts on the ground by progressively inching forward the so-called “yellow line” demarcating its area of control. More than 60% of Gaza’s territory currently falls within this line, and the Israeli military regularly kills and injures Palestinians in the vicinity of the shifting boundary.
From The New Humanitarian, May 29
See our last reports on Israel’s annexation agenda, and accusations of genocide.
Photo: Jaber Jehad Badwan via Wikimedia Commons
Brief border closures in Gaza
As the Iran war once again flared, Israel announced the closure of all border crossings into the Gaza Strip on June 8. The move was short-lived but a reminder that Israel can easily cut Gaza off from the outside support that its population—squeezed into an ever smaller sliver of the enclave and almost entirely living in tents—is dependent on to survive. The Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing re-opened for humanitarian deliveries on June 9, and the Rafah crossing with Egypt re-opened the following day for limited medical evacuations. Some 18,500 Palestinians need treatment that is not available in Gaza, but only a small number are being allowed to leave. (TNH)
More than 1,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since ‘ceasefire’
Israeli attacks have killed over 1,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the so-called ceasefire came into effect last October. More than 3,150 people have also been injured. Israeli attacks have been escalating in recent weeks. Nearly one million people are living in tents, and around 29,000 have no shelter at all, as sweltering summer heat hits the enclave, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. Israel continues to block the entry of shelter and reconstruction material. (TNH)