Netanyahu trespasses into Gaza to approve Gaza City occupation
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Netanyahu says he visited the Gaza Strip to approve IOF plans to capture Gaza City, despite international condemnation and rejection of his scheme.
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An Israeli tank moves through an area near the Gaza border, as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that he had traveled to the Gaza Strip to approve military plans aimed at occupying Gaza City and "defeating" the Palestinian resistance movement.
“We are at the decision-making stage. Today, I arrived in the Gaza Strip to approve the plans presented to me and the defense minister by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to capture the city of Gaza and defeat Hamas,” Netanyahu stated.
Netanyahu also said he had ordered the immediate start of negotiations for the release of all captives, while insisting that the war would only end under conditions acceptable to "Israel".
Yesterday, Netanyahu decided not to respond to the proposal recently approved by Hamas, despite efforts by mediators to push forward a deal.
US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has also distanced himself from the formula he initially supported, with reports noting that he no longer trusts the mediators.
Despite endless Israeli claims that Hamas was being unreasonable and not flexible throughout previous negotiation rounds, the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza had already agreed to the new proposal, which is nearly identical to the Witkoff paper previously proposed.
On Monday, Hamas and other Palestinian factions announced their approval of the proposal put forward by mediators from Egypt and Qatar.
Read more: New genocide phase: Israeli forces begin second occupation of Gaza
