Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon propose to government ministers a plan to annex territories in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz writes, citing sources.
According to the plan, Israel will announce that it is giving Hamas (a group recognised as a terrorist group in the EU and the US) a few days to agree to a truce, and in case of refusal will begin annexation of the territory. It will be gradual until the entire Gaza Strip is annexed.
The plan, according to the publication, has received the approval of US President Donald Trump’s administration.
As Haaretz notes, Netanyahu previously had “no enthusiasm” for annexing the territories, but is now willing to do so in order to keep his government, whose right-wing wing is unhappy with Netanyahu’s recent decision to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, from collapsing.
Another Israeli publication, The Times of Israel, points out that it is not Netanyahu himself but members of his cabinet who are talking about the possible annexation of Gaza.
Israel is under intense international pressure over what aid organisations say is a massive famine in the Gaza Strip, with human rights activists and governments around the world accusing Jerusalem of blocking humanitarian aid. Netanyahu claims there is no famine and that Israel is sending enough aid, but it is being stolen by Hamas.