They may annex northern Gaza: Israeli press claims

According to claims in the Israeli press, the Israeli government is preparing to annex areas in northern Gaza that were destroyed during the war and which Palestinians were forced to abandon. In recent months, land located in these regions was sold at certain synagogues in Canada and the US, with the condition that it be sold only to Jews.

Aluf Benn, editor of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, claimed that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to annex northern Gaza and establish settlements for Israelis in the region.

In his article in the newspaper, Benn stated that Israel has entered the second phase of the Gaza war and explained the plans for this phase.

Benn included the following statements in his article:

'In this phase, Israel will attempt to establish control over the area from northern Gaza to the Netzarim Corridor (the corridor separating the north from the south). Depending on the level of international opposition, this area will be gradually prepared for settlement and annexation. If this plan is implemented, as suggested by former Israeli National Security Council head retired General Giora Eiland, the Palestinians remaining in northern Gaza will be removed from there under the guise of the threat of starvation and protecting their lives.'

Benn noted that Netanyahu dreams of expanding Israeli territory and that if this were to happen, it would be an absolute success for him.

STATEMENT FROM THE UNITED NATIONS

Reminding that Netanyahu instructed the army last week to prepare to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza in place of international organizations, Benn noted that Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi approached this with reservations on the grounds that it would endanger soldiers and be costly, but that Netanyahu did not change his stance.

Benn argued that if Israel controls aid entries, it would find the opportunity to remove the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)—which the Israeli right views as an anti-Zionist project—from Gaza once and for all.

SITUATION OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES UNCERTAIN

Noting that Netanyahu has given up on bringing back the hostages in Gaza and has left them to torture and death in Hamas's tunnels, Benn expressed that this aims to reverse the situation for Hamas Political Bureau Chief Yahya Sinwar.

Benn used the expression, 'Instead of being an asset that would secure a major concession from Israel, the hostages will become a burden to the Palestinians and a justification for Israel to continue the war and the blockade.'

News Source: AA