Despite international criticism, Israel has begun the first phase of its offensive on Gaza City. In the West Bank, too, facts are being established: a planning committee has approved a settlement project that has drawn international criticism.

According to the Israeli military, the first phase of its planned offensive on Gaza City has begun following clashes with Hamas. Suburbs have already been captured, military spokesperson Effie Defrin told the press. These are said to include the neighborhoods of Al-Saitun and Jabaliya.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz had previously approved the call-up of approximately 60,000 additional reservists for the capture of Gaza. His office also announced that the reserve service of approximately 20,000 additional soldiers would be extended.

According to Israeli media reports, up to 130,000 reservists are expected to be deployed in the Gaza Strip following the new drafts. However, a military official explained that the majority of those involved in the capture of Gaza are active military personnel.

Civilians in Gaza to flee offensive

There are fears that the offensive will worsen the already catastrophic situation of the civilian population in the sealed-off Gaza Strip, where a total of around two million Palestinians live.

According to the Israeli military plan, the civilians in Gaza City – estimated at around one million people – are to move to tent camps further south in the coastal strip. There, they will be provided with medical aid and food, a military official said. The military has vigorously rejected repeated accusations by international aid organizations that Israel is systematically blocking supplies to the civilian population.

In a dramatic incident in the southern Gaza Strip, more than 15 heavily armed Palestinians attacked an army position, according to Israeli military sources. They fired on Israeli soldiers and fired anti-tank missiles near the town of Khan Yunis, a military official said. Some of them entered the post. The troops returned fire and, in cooperation with the air force, killed 10 of the attackers, who emerged from several tunnel shafts.

Israeli media reported that they were believed to be planning to kidnap soldiers. Three soldiers were injured, one seriously, the army said.

Hamas's military wing claimed responsibility for the attack."The Qassam Brigades reiterate that such operations will continue until the occupation ends and our people achieve freedom," the Islamist terrorist organization said in a statement.

Israel has not responded to Hamas' ceasefire proposal

The approval to take Gaza City came despite Hamas's own statement on Monday that it had presented international mediators with a"positive response" to a new ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip. An official response from Israel is expected by the end of the week. According to media reports, the security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Thursday.

According to reports, the latest ceasefire proposal is an updated version of the previously negotiated proposal by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. It calls for a 60-day ceasefire during which ten live hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. A total of 50 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom at least 20 are believed to be alive.

There has been speculation that the Security Cabinet's decision to expand the war could be a negotiating tactic to put pressure on Hamas to return to the negotiating table and show more flexibility.

The city of Gaza remains the most important stronghold of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, the Israeli military official said. The organization still has"operational capabilities" and is capable of waging "guerrilla warfare." The goal of the operation is also to destroy its underground tunnel system.

Strong criticism from Germany of settlement project in the West Bank

Meanwhile, an Israeli planning committee approved plans for settlements in a particularly sensitive area of the West Bank. This was reported by the Israeli organization Peace Now, which had a representative on site. The Israeli Settlers Council welcomed the decision.

This involves the construction of approximately 3,400 housing units in the so-called E1 area between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim. The area is considered particularly sensitive due to its geographical location, as development would effectively divide the West Bank into a northern and a southern part.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized the decision."Such plans, if implemented, would violate international law and would make a two-state solution impossible," the CDU politician told journalists on the sidelines of a visit to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

dpa/krott/dol