IOF ready Gaza City assault; Palestinian factions warn of carnage
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Israeli occupation Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announces the next stage of the Gaza assault, framing it as part of a wider war that targets Iran.
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A Palestinian man carries the body of his 7-year-old nephew, Alaa Al-Toum, who was killed in an Israeli army airstrike last night, during his funeral at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 (AP)
During a visit to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Israeli occupation Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared that the entity’s military is preparing to escalate its aggression in the “next stage” of the "war against Hamas".
The announcement came after the occupation cabinet authorized the capture of Gaza City earlier this month. In comments issued by the Israeli army, Zamir said, “Today we are approving the plan for the next stage of the war.”
He insisted that momentum from Operation "Gideon’s Chariots", launched in May, would be sustained, with the upcoming phase focused on Gaza City, already devastated by months of bombardment.
“We will continue striking until Hamas is defeated, while keeping the hostages in mind,” Zamir said, pledging that the occupation forces would pursue their objectives “with a sophisticated, measured, and responsible strategy,” through joint land, air, and naval operations.
According to Zamir, the next stage aims to “deepen the damage to Hamas in Gaza City until its defeat.” He claimed that the operation has already achieved its core objectives, asserting that Hamas has suffered a “severe blow” and no longer maintains its previous capabilities, despite widespread destruction and tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties.
Zamir also framed the aggression as part of a wider regional agenda. He stressed that the campaign was “not localized" but connected to a long-term strategy against what he described as “all components of the axis, first and foremost Iran.”
Hamas warns of “new wave of massacres” as IOF advances on Gaza City
Hamas has warned that Israeli occupation Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir’s plan to authorize the capture of Gaza City and intensify military operations amounts to “a declaration of a new wave of extermination and mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced families sheltering in the city.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, the movement accused the occupation of committing “a major war crime in Gaza City,” stressing that the announcement represents “the clearest embodiment of Israeli arrogance, contempt for international law, and determination to pursue a war of extermination under American cover and amid shameful global silence.”
The group slammed Israeli preparations to send tents to southern Gaza under the guise of “humanitarian arrangements", describing the move as “blatant deception intended to mask the crime the occupation is preparing to commit.”
Hamas further underscored that the assault on Gaza “cannot be separated from what is happening in the West Bank,” pointing to ongoing daily raids, armed settler attacks, and the burning of Palestinian property. These actions, it said, reflect “a unified Zionist project aimed at uprooting Palestinians from their land, stripping them of their rights, and advancing the Judaization of Muslim and Christian holy sites.”
The movement warned that the push to impose what it calls “Greater Israel” demands firm support for the Palestinian people and their Resistance, which it described as the first line of defense for Arab and Muslim nations against Israeli ambitions. It urged Palestinians to adopt a unified national stance and build a comprehensive resistance strategy, while calling on Arab and Islamic states to take concrete steps to confront the Israeli occupation.
Palestinian Mujahideen Movement: Tents signal looming 'carnage'
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement echoed Hamas’ warning, charging that "Israel’s" announcement about sending tents to southern Gaza is “a prelude to the major massacre it is planning in Gaza City, amid international silence and complicity.”
It placed full responsibility on the US administration and President Donald Trump for enabling Israeli crimes against Palestinians, saying Washington has provided the political cover necessary for what it described as an ongoing war of genocide.
The group called for escalating pressure by all means to stop "Israel’s" plans and urged broader mobilization in solidarity with Palestinians until the assault is halted.
Democratic Front: Israeli entity escalates genocide in Gaza
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) also accused the occupation of “opening a new chapter in its genocidal war in Gaza City.”
It said the military escalation comes “in blatant disregard of indirect negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire and ensuring the unconditional entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, relying instead on backing from the White House.”
The DFLP warned that the consequences of the Israeli campaign in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied al-Quds “will not stop at the Palestinian issue alone, but will extend to the wider region.”
