PM Netanyahu pushes for intensified Gaza military campaign

Shafaq News – Middle East

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to convene the security cabinet this week and authorize a stepped-up military offensive in Gaza.

“We must fight together to defeat the enemy, free our hostages, and ensure Gaza no longer poses a threat,” Netanyahu declared during the weekly cabinet meeting.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed full support for intensifying the campaign in Gaza, emphasizing Israel’s commitment to ''achieving victory and eliminating Hamas.''

Earlier reports from Israeli media indicate the government is weighing two military strategies in Gaza. One option involves a full-scale ground invasion of the Strip, though military officials warn that dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure could take years. The alternative strategy focuses on encircling Hamas-controlled areas and engaging in a prolonged war of attrition against its armed units.

These developments come amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The Health Ministry announced that five Palestinians have died from starvation in the past 24 hours, raising the official toll to 180—including 93 children—since Israel’s military campaign began.

The ministry also highlighted a surge in Guillain-Barré syndrome and acute flaccid paralysis among children, linking the rise to widespread malnutrition and emerging intestinal viruses.