Israeli Channel 12 reported on Wednesday evening that Netanyahu decided not to respond to Hamas, alongside not sending a delegation to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza in the coming period. The channel emphasized on its website that Netanyahu has American support to expand the scope of war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, ‘Cairo News’ indicated that Egypt has initiated intensive communications with concerned parties to urge Israel to positively engage with the proposal of mediators and calm the situation in Gaza.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Netanyahu expressed his inclination to reject the latest proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators regarding ending the war in Gaza, stating the demand for the release of captives, saying, ‘We will not leave any hostage behind.’
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli media reported that the army decided to increase the number of reserve forces in Gaza from 20,000 to 80,000 soon, noting that this number will be achieved by summoning 60,000 reserve soldiers shortly.
The site highlighted that Defense Minister Yisrael Katz’s approval of the plan to occupy Gaza City came as part of the ‘cabinet’ decision issued at the beginning of this month to reoccupy the Gaza Strip. Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff, stated earlier this week that the plan includes strengthening the deployment of Israeli forces in the northern sector to prepare for the occupation of Gaza City.
It is noteworthy that the plan includes the forced displacement of about one million Palestinians to the southern sector, an act that has led to widespread international criticism of Israel, which continues its preparations to implement the plan despite all warnings.
From October 7, 2023, to the present August 17, the war on Gaza has resulted in the death of about 62,000 Palestinians and approximately 156,000 injured, according to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
