Netanyahu says Israel Will 'Take Control of All' of Gaza Strip

"The fighting is intense and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip," he said in a video posted to his Telegram channel. "We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped."

After Israel announced it would let a "basic amount" of food into the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said it was necessary to prevent a famine for "diplomatic reasons.”

"We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped."

The Israeli army told Gazans in the main southern city of Khan Yunis and the nearby areas of Bani Suheila and Abasan to "evacuate immediately" on Monday ahead of an attack.

"The Israeli Defense Forces (military) will launch an unprecedented attack to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organisations in this area," Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Telegram.

"You must evacuate immediately to the west to the Mawasi area. From this moment, Khan Yunis will be considered a dangerous combat zone.

Israel has come under mounting international pressure, including from key backer the United States, to lift a total blockade it imposed on Gaza more than two months ago.

"We must not let the population [of Gaza] sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons," Netanyahu said, adding that even friends of Israel would not tolerate "images of mass starvation.”

Israel's “greatest friends in the world,” he said without mentioning specific nationalities, had said there is “one thing we cannot stand. We cannot accept images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to support you.”

“Therefore to achieve victory, we need to somehow solve the problem,” Netanyahu said.

The aid that would be let in would be “minimal,” he said without specifying precisely when it would resume.

The pressure on Israel was “approaching a red line” necessitating the resumption of aid into Gaza in order to press ahead with its military offensive, he said.

Israel has now adopted a new distribution method involving the army-secured aid centers, intended to prevent Hamas from accessing the supplies while allowing American contractors to oversee distribution, he said.

“This takes time,” Netanyahu acknowledged, noting that the first centers will be operational in the coming days, with the broader goal of establishing a humanitarian zone within Gaza under Israeli control where civilians can receive aid.

In a report this month, the U.N.- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza was at "critical risk of famine,” with 22 percent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian "catastrophe.”

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving,” adding "we're going to get that taken care of.”

Meanwhile, Israel's military on Monday said the air force had struck "160 terror targets" in Gaza over the past day, as it pressed an expanded offensive.

Rescuers said air strikes killed at least 22 people, after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" against Hamas.

Source: HDN