Middle East: Israel approves expanded Gaza City operation

French President Emmanuel Macron said Israel's planned military takeover of Gaza City "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war."

Macron called for a permanent ceasefire, the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and "an international stabilization mission" in Gaza.

"This is the only credible way forward — for the families of the hostages, for Israelis, and for Palestinians alike," he said on social media.

The Palestinian Authority has condemned Israel's approval of a plan to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The plan calls for the construction of 3,500 new apartments on a tract of land referred to by Israel as E1, located between east Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Critics say the development would effectively cut the West Bank into two.

"This undermines the chances of implementing the two-state solution, establishing a Palestinian state on the ground, and fragments its geographic and demographic unity," the Palestinian Authority's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.

It added the move would entrench "division of the occupied West Bank into isolated areas and cantons that are disconnected from one another, turning them into something akin to real prisons, where movement is only possible through Israeli checkpoints and under the terror of armed settler militias."

Israel's settlements in the West Bank are illegal according to international law, although Israel disputes this.

Irish rap group Kneecap were greeted by hundreds of supporters outside a court in London as one of its members, Mo Chara, sought to throw out a terrorism charge for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert last year.

Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged in May under the Terrorism Act, which makes it a criminal offense to display an object in a way that arouses reasonable suspicion that someone is a supporter of a proscribed organization.

The UK law classifies Hezbollah's armed wing as a terrorist organization, but not the political party.

Fans of the Belfast-based rap group gathered outside the magistrate's court in London holding signs that read "Free Mo Chara," while others waved Palestinian and Irish flags.

Police imposed restrictions on where Kneecap supporters could protest outside the court. Officials said this was to "prevent serious disruption," but the group slammed the move as being "designed to try and portray support for Kneecap as somehow troublesome."

Mo Chara has argued that the charge against him was brought too late. He was formally charged on May 22, 2025, one day after the six-month limit for charges like this one.

A German government spokesperson said Wednesday that Berlin "rejects the escalation" of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, after it was earlier announced that Israel approved plans for a takeover of Gaza City. 

Germany finds it "increasingly difficult to understand how these actions will lead to the freeing of all the hostages, or to a ceasefire," government spokesperson Steffen Meyer told reporters.

Plans for an expanded Gaza City offensive have been met with widespread condemnation over what will happen to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering in the city, which has some of the last remains of critical infrastructure in Gaza. It is also the most thickly populated area of the Palestinian enclave.

Israel has said Hamas militants continue to use Gaza as a base of operations to carry out attacks.  

Families of Israeli hostages have also expressed opposition to the plan, and held massive rallies on Sunday. Many fear the offensive will further endanger the remaining hostages. Some 50 people taken hostage in October 2023 remain unaccounted for, and 20 of them are thought to be alive.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on the Israeli government and Hamas militant group to agree on a ceasefire proposal that secures the release of Israeli hostages and stops the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

Speaking with his Indonesian counterpart in Jakarta, Wadephul said, "There is now a very real opportunity to resolve the conflict."

"The goal for all of us is clear: a two-state solution, which must be negotiated," Wadephul said.

On Monday, Hamas agreed to a ceasefire proposal allowing for an initial 60-day truce, limited release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and increased aid entry into Gaza.

Israel has not immediately responded. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said fighting could be paused to facilitate hostage releases, he has said Israel would continue fighting in Gaza until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated and disarmed.

Qatar and Egypt, backed by the US, have mediated the negotiations.

The war in Gaza, which started after a Hamas-led terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people in Israel, with some 250 more taken hostage, is now almost in its 23rd month.

More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to health officials in the Hamas-governed enclave. The United Nations deems the figures reliable.

The German foreign minister added that his country has a special responsibility for Israel and supports its fight against Hamas.

However, Wadephul noted that the German government condemns the suffering of the population in Gaza and has called on Israel to take measures to stop the suffering of civilians.

"The goal for all of us is clear: a two-state solution, which must be negotiated," Wadephul said. "It would be in all of our interests if this political conflict could be resolved through a peaceful process."

Israel has announced the final approval for a controversial plan allowing new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the plan last week.

It calls for development in an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, known as E1. The Israeli government would build nearly 3,500 new apartments to enlarge the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, which lies next to E1. 

The UN has warned that the plan would divide the West Bank and make any two-state solution untenable.

A statement released by Smotrich's office announcing the settlements said they were "burying the idea of a Palestinian state." 

The plan Smotrich presented would divide the occupied West Bank, Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at the Ir Amim organization, told DW when it was introduced last week.

"It breaks up the West Bank into a northern part and the southern part," he said, adding that it would make a Palestinian state "not possible."

Plans for new Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been widely condemned and are considered illegal under international law, which Israel has consistently disputed. 

 

Israel's Defense Ministry has approved plans to call up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of a planned operation in Gaza City. 

The Times of Israel newspaper, citing military officials, reported on Monday that about 60,000 reservists would be called up in stages. The majority, numbering 40,000 to 50,000 troops, have been ordered to report for duty at the beginning of September. Another, smaller, contingent is due in November, and a third will be called up in February. 

About 130,000 reservists are expected to be active during the planned offensive. 

Israel's military leadership has signed off on a preliminary plan to take over Gaza City, according to officials speaking off the record to Israeli and international media.  

The plan has been approved by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, the Defense Ministry told the AFP news agency. 

The start date of the operation is currently unclear. However, an unnamed Israeli military official told AP news agency that the operation will be in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where Hamas is still active.

Israeli troops are currently operating in the Zeitoun and Jabaliya neighborhoods of Gaza City to prepare for the expanded operation, the official said.  

The official added that the plan will proceed to final approval now that the military has signed off. 

The preliminary approval comes weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel planned to completely take over Gaza City, with the objective of eliminating the threat of Hamas militants and recovering the remaining hostages who were abducted in the terror attacks in southern Israel on October 7. 

It comes after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal yesterday. However, Israel has not yet provided an official response to the proposal.

Plans for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip had earlier met pushback from Israeli armed forces Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who dropped opposition to the framework plan last week. 

Humanitarian organizations are warning of mass displacement and a humanitarian catastrophe for Palestinians living in Gaza's most densely populated area.

The plan has also been condemned by countries like UK, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand. 

Israel's military says Gaza City is Hamas' main stronghold, and the militant group is still actively regrouping and carrying out attacks. 

Israel, Germany, the United States and several other countries designate Hamas a terrorist organization.

Today, we are reporting on an expanded Israeli offensive in Gaza City that has reportedly just received military officials' approval.

Details are still emerging, but reports indicate that tens of thousands of reservists will be called up in September to begin the new operation.