Israel to 'control all parts' of Gaza, says Netanyahu as aid trucks wait at border

Jerusalem (Web Desk): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel will assume full control over the Gaza Strip, heightening concerns that the war may stretch on indefinitely.

In a video released on social media on Monday, Netanyahu said that Israel “will not give up” until it has seized “all the territory of the Strip,” signaling that military operations will persist with undiminished force. “The fighting is intense and we are making progress,” he said in a statement posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped.”

This announcement follows an escalation in Israel’s military offensive, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 103 individuals through a wave of airstrikes across Gaza. The largest hospital in the northern part of the territory was forced to close its doors, rendered inoperable due to sustained damage and the depletion of essential resources.

 At the same time, Israel has called up tens of thousands of reservists in what appears to be a multi-pronged campaign. While applying pressure on Hamas to consider a ceasefire, Israel is also seemingly preparing to maintain a long-term military presence in the enclave.

In a slight shift under international scrutiny, Netanyahu’s office said that for the first time in ten weeks, Israel will permit a limited amount of food into Gaza.

The move follows mounting international pressure and growing alarm over the worsening humanitarian crisis, with 2.1 million people cut off from essential supplies and facing the threat of famine. The announcement coincided with a new Israeli military campaign, named Operation Gideon’s Chariot, which involves what the Israel Defense Forces described as “extensive ground operations” throughout the Gaza Strip.

Israel has kept Gaza under a complete blockade for the past ten weeks, halting all shipments of food, fuel, and medical aid. Humanitarian agencies have consistently warned of the risk of famine, with distressing images surfacing of children suffering from severe malnutrition.

On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes hit numerous areas across the territory, including Khan Younis in the south and Beit Lahia and Jabalia in the north. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 67 people were killed and another 361 were injured within 24 hours.

Gaza’s civil defence teams reported that an overnight air raid on the al-Mawasi displacement camp, a site previously designated as a "safe zone," killed 22 people and wounded over 100 more.

The bombardment has also devastated Gaza’s medical system. Officials say three public hospitals in the north have ceased functioning entirely. At the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, medical workers said IDF tanks opened fire on the building late Sunday night while 55 people were inside, including four doctors, eight nurses, and patients who were unable to evacuate.

Staff told the BBC that no warning had been issued and that there were no military targets in or near the hospital. An hour into the shelling, Israeli troops reportedly withdrew from the area.

The IDF stated it had been targeting Hamas infrastructure located near the hospital and denied that it had intentionally struck medical facilities.

In another northern district, the director of al-Awda Hospital, Mohammed Salha, reported that nearby explosions caused severe damage to the building. Al-Awda relies on the Indonesian Hospital for both oxygen and critical care services. In the south, strikes also hit the Nasser Medical Complex and the European Hospital in Khan Younis, further crippling health services.

Netanyahu’s office stated that Israeli negotiators are “exhausting every possibility” to reach an agreement, but any potential deal, they stressed, must involve the release of hostages, the exile of Hamas leaders, and the complete disarmament of the group within Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israel has pursued an aggressive campaign in Gaza that has left over 53,000 Palestinians dead, the vast majority of them women and children. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.