Israel to expand offensive beyond Gaza

WHO wants more aid in Gaza before Israeli occupation

FE Team | Published: August 12, 2025 21:56:58

JERUSALEM, Aug 12 (AP/AFP): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel intends to expand its offensive beyond Gaza City to the last areas not under Israeli control, where most of Gaza's 2 million residents have taken shelter as the territory faces worsening famine.
The mobilization is expected to take weeks, and some analysts suggest the threat of a wider operation could be aimed at pressuring Hamas to release more hostages or surrender after 22 months of war triggered by its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Any expansion is expected to bring further destruction to Gaza, where about 75% of the territory is already heavily damaged and under Israeli control. It could also worsen displacement and hinder aid deliveries during the severe hunger crisis.
The plan has caused debate in Israel, with hostage families fearing their loved ones could be endangered, and some former senior security officials questioning the military value. Netanyahu said the offensive will move into Gaza's "central camps" - Nuseirat and Bureij - and beyond, referring to them as Hamas strongholds alongside Gaza City, Muwasi, and the city of Deir al-Balah. These are among the few areas not yet devastated in earlier operations and are suspected to contain hostages in hidden locations.
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, said the operation will not begin immediately and will require significant mobilization, potentially including thousands of reservists. The official noted that the announcement was partly intended to increase political and military pressure.
The UN health agency on Tuesday said Israel should let it stock medical supplies to deal with a "catastrophic" health situation in Gaza before it seizes control of Gaza City.
Israel has said its military would "take control" of Gaza City in a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet that sparked a wave of global criticism.
"We want to stock up, and we all hear about 'more humanitarian supplies are allowed in'-well it's not happening yet, or it's happening at a way too low a pace," said Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization's representative in the Palestinian territories.
Fifty-two percent of medicines were running at zero stock, Peeperkorn said, speaking from Jerusalem. UN agencies warned last month that famine was unfolding in Gaza, with Israel severely restricting aid entry.
Peeperkorn said the WHO was able to bring in fewer supplies than it wanted "due to the cumbersome procedures" and products "still denied" entry-a topic of constant negotiation with the Israeli authorities.
"We want to as quickly stock up hospitals... following the news-the whole discussion about an incursion in Gaza," he said.
"We currently cannot do that... We need to be able to get all essential medicines and medical supplies in."
Peeperkorn said only 50 percent of hospitals and 38 percent of primary health care centres were functioning, and that too partially. Bed occupancy has reached 240 percent capacity in the Al-Shifa hospital and 300 percent Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza.
"The overall health situation remains catastrophic," he said. "Hunger and malnutrition continue to ravage Gaza". Peeperkorn said 148 people died from the effects of malnutrition this year, citing August 5 as the cut-off date.