Location at a glance: Israel decides to expand the attacks in the Gaza Strip

Israel wants to further tighten his offensive in the Gaza Strip against Islamist Hamas. This was unanimously decided at a meeting of the security cabinet by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, various Israeli media reported on civil servants during the night. The aim is to increase the pressure on Hamas in order to force the release of further hostages. In addition, the security cabinet approved a plan to resume aid deliveries in the sealed off coastal strips.

The “Times of Israel” reported that the plan to expand the offensive will only be implemented in the region after the visit of US President Donald Trump in the region next week. Until then, efforts would be made to achieve an agreement with Hamas via an ceasefire and a hostage agreement.

According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu had previously given the green light for preparing an increased military offensive. The Israeli chief of staff Ejal Zamir confirmed the massive mobilization of reservists that have already been decided to expand the attacks in the Gaza War. “This week we send tens of thousands of convening commands to our reservists to strengthen and expand our operation in the Gaza Strip,” said the military director when visiting a naval base south of Haifa.

Reservists should replace regular troops

According to the news portal “Ynet”, some reservists are to replace regular troops that are currently stationed on the northern border or in the West Bank. These units are then to be laid in the Gaza Strip. For some reservists, it has been seventh use since the beginning of the war.

After an almost two -month ceasefire, the Israeli army resumed its attacks in the Gaza Strip on March 18. The indirect negotiations on renewed ceasefire – conveyed by the USA, Egypt and Qatar – have so far been no breakthrough.

For around two months, the military no longer has humanitarian aid deliveries in the sealed area in which around two million people live. An expansion of the attacks is likely to further exacerbate the already precarious humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Aid organizations speak of catastrophic conditions. The army accuses the Hamas to sell the relief goods profitably to finance their fighters and weapons.

The mechanism had been revised in the plan that has now been granted by the security cabinet to minimize a junction of goods through Hamas. International organizations and private security companies should distribute food and relief supplies to families. The Israeli army is not directly involved, but should protect the distribution of the goods. The news portal “Axios” recently reported that the USA and Israel planned to bring relief goods past the Gaza Strip with the help of a private US company.

And wise Israeli relief goods plan back

Even before the security cabinet was adopted, the United Nations made it clear not to support the plan of Israel for a relief goods delivery in the Gaza Strip due to great humanitarian concerns. “(The plan) violates fundamental humanitarian principles and seems to be designed to reinforce control over vital goods as a means of pressure – as part of a military strategy,” said the humanitarian UN team in the Gaza Strip.

Israel wants to give the UN’s approval to distribute relief supplies over Israeli outputs under conditions that the Israeli military defines. This strategy is dangerous because it drives the civilian population into militarized zones to maintain rations. This could be life -threatening for people and the helpers. Less mobile people could not be achieved in this way that forced displacement is being promoted.

Number of hostages still living in Gaza unclear

According to Israeli information, there are still 24 hostages and the corpses of 35 abducted people in the violence of Hamas. Former hostages report inhuman conditions. US President Donald Trump recently said that the number of survivors may have been less than previously assumed.

The Gaza War began after the unprecedented attack by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7, 2023. At that time, around 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 250 were dragged into the Gaza strip as hostages. According to the Ministry of Health controlled by the Hamas, more than 52,500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since then – more than 2,400 of them since the attacks were resumed on March 18.

Netanyahu: reaction to Huthi attack also against Iran

Meanwhile, Israel made it clear that he wanted to react to the Huthi attack on his international airport not only against the Yemeni militia itself, but also against its Iranian allies. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a post on the platform X: “Attacks through the Huthi go from Iran. Israel will react to the Huthi attack to our most important airport and – at a time and at a time of our choice – against her Iranian terrorist.”

In the event of a rocket attack on Israel, the Huthi militia in Yemen first hit the area of ​​international airport at Tel Aviv. According to paramedics, eight people were injured. Israel threatened a hard counter strike.

The Israeli news portal “Ynet” reported that with an urgently convened security advice, it was decided that Israel would carry out the military response to the Huthi attack in close coordination with the United States. The Israeli TV broadcaster N12 reported that both the Israeli rocket defense system Arrow 3 and the US rocket defense system Thaad had missed the rocket fired from Yemen when attempts to catch.

Iran’s government has responsibility

Iran’s government rejected that he had been involved in the attack. The procedure of the Huthi for the “support of the Palestinian people” is an “independent decision”, said the Foreign Ministry. At the same time, it spoke of a “misleading and distracting claim”, which aimed to disguise the crimes of the Zionist regime in the occupied Palestinian areas, to hide their own failure and to provide pretext for further destabilization of West Asia “.

Tehran has been supporting Huthi politically and militarily in Yemen for years, but rejects direct arms deliveries and emphasizes the independence of the Shiite rebel militia. According to media reports, the US government, in the course of new nuclear negotiations, demanded that Iran have supported its support for militant groups in the region.

The Huthi announced that they want to attack Israeli airports again. A spokesman said the step was to react to Israel’s decision to expand his operations in the Gaza Strip.