Overview

• Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan for the military to seize Gaza City and dismantle the enclave’s remaining Hamas strongholds
• Netanyahu frames the offensive as the only way to defeat Hamas and free Gaza through demilitarization, Israeli security control and installation of a non-Israeli civilian authority
• The United States defended Israel at the UN Security Council, rejecting genocide claims and endorsing Israel’s right to secure its territory
• United Nations officials and humanitarian agencies warn that the plan risks a humanitarian calamity and could trigger mass starvation across Gaza
• Israel disputes allegations of deliberate starvation and faces scrutiny over the disputed killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif