Netanyahu Defends New Gaza Offensive As Death Toll And Protests Mount

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended plans for a fresh military push into Gaza, insisting Israel ‘has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas’, as violence claimed dozens more Palestinian lives and criticism of Israel’s war strategy intensified.

Speaking to foreign media in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said the new offensive would target Hamas’ last two strongholds. He denied any intention to occupy the territory, stating the aims were to demilitarise Gaza, maintain Israel’s ‘overriding security control’, and hand governance to a non-Israeli civilian administration.

He dismissed what he called a ‘global campaign of lies’ about Israel’s actions and said there was a ‘fairly short timetable’ for the next steps.

In a policy shift, Netanyahu ordered the military to allow more foreign journalists into Gaza.

Aid Convoy Deaths Spark Outrage

Even as Netanyahu spoke, hospitals in Gaza reported at least 26 Palestinians killed while seeking food and aid. Witnesses said people died along aid convoy routes and at distribution sites.

Nasser Hospital said ten were killed near the Morag corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, six others died near the Zikim crossing, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Shifa Hospital.

In central Gaza, four were killed at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site after warning shots were fired.

The Israeli military denied involvement, and GHF attributed the deaths to looting incidents near convoys. Seven more Palestinians, including two children, died in separate airstrikes, hospitals reported.

Gaza’s health officials reported two more child deaths from malnutrition on Saturday, raising the war’s child hunger toll to 100. Another 117 adults have died from similar causes since late June.

The overall death toll now stands at 61,400, about half women and children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Netanyahu’s plans have stirred opposition at home, with tens of thousands protesting in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza urged a general strike next week, warning that expanded fighting could endanger captives.

Of the 251 people seized in Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack — which killed around 1,200 in southern Israel — about 50 remain in Gaza, with 20 believed alive.

Lishay Miran-Lavi, whose husband Omri is among them, appealed to US President Donald Trump to intervene, warning, “The decision to send the army deeper into Gaza is a danger to my husband. But we can still stop this disaster.”

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