Overview

• Israel’s Security Cabinet authorized IDF operations to seize Gaza City and expand into central refugee camps and Al-Mawasi, aiming to dismantle Hamas strongholds under Israeli security control with designated safe zones and a non-Israeli civilian administration.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the escalation as the only way to defeat Hamas and secure the release of hostages held since Oct. 7, 2023, setting what he called a “fairly short timetable” for the campaign.
• An emergency UN Security Council session featured sharp criticism from UN rights chief Volker Türk, who cautioned that the takeover could trigger massive forced displacement, additional deaths and potential atrocity crimes.
• UN humanitarian officials report Gaza is experiencing starvation and dire conditions, with dozens of civilians killed at aid distribution points amid fears that broader military operations will worsen the humanitarian collapse.
• International reactions ranged from US support for Israel’s security prerogatives and Germany’s halt of military exports to Hamas’s denunciation of the plan as ethnic cleansing and disputes over journalist deaths in recent strikes.