CrossFireArabia
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli army is suspending reservists who refuse to serve unless a deal is made to secure the release of captives in Gaza.
These reservists signed a protest letter demanding action, prompting military commanders to contact them, with some describing the calls as “threatening.”
More than 130 reservists from various units warned Netanyahu that they would cease service if no deal is reached.
CrossFireArabia
Independent US Sen. Bernie Sanders sharply denounced Israel’s ongoing blockade of the besieged Gaza Strip, and its plan to greatly expand the war and occupy the coastal enclave.
“64 days with no aid reaching Gaza. No food, no water, no medicine. Children are starving,” Sanders said in a statement posted on X. “Netanyahu’s extremist government now says it will occupy Gaza and put mercenaries in charge of distributing aid, instead of the UN and other aid groups. Despicable. No more US support for Netanyahu’s war machine.”
Earlier in the day, Israel’s Security Cabinet unanimously approved a plan to expand its ongoing military onslaught on the Gaza Strip and occupy territories inside the enclave.
In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved “the operational plan” submitted by army chief Eyal Zamir to “defeat (Palestinian group) Hamas” and for the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
According to the statement, the plan requires the army “to conquer Gaza and hold the territory under its control.”
Israeli Channel 12 reported that the plan also includes the forcible relocation of Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south, according to Anadolu.
More than 52,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
