Overview

• Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan for an IDF ground assault into Gaza City to dismantle Hamas strongholds, demilitarize the enclave and install non-Israeli civilian governance.
• Netanyahu said the operation will follow a ‘fairly short timetable’ to complete Hamas’s defeat and rejected famine allegations as “fake news.”
• An emergency UN Security Council session condemned the plan as collective punishment, with China and Russia warning against escalations while the US defended Israel’s security prerogatives.
• Humanitarian conditions worsen as at least 26 Palestinians have died seeking aid and UN agencies issue dire starvation warnings.
• Netanyahu has ordered the military to expand foreign journalist access to counter criticism over limited media coverage in Gaza.