AhlulBayt News Agency: The Israeli regime’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip following the 22-month genocidal war against the Palestinian territory, according to Israeli media reports.
Senior officials from Netanyahu's office confirmed this decision on Monday evening, stating, "Israel is going to conquer the Gaza Strip," Israeli media reported.
The plan involves Israeli occupation forces expanding their ground invasion into more areas, including central refugee camps.
“We are moving to occupy the Strip - the decision has been made,” an official in Netanyahu's office said, adding that Hamas will not release the 50 remaining hostages without surrender.
“If we do not act now, the hostages will die of starvation while Gaza remains under Hamas control,” the official claimed.
Palestinian and Israeli rights groups say that 50 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive, while the Israeli regime is holding more than 10,800 Palestinian detainees, many of whom face torture, starvation and medical neglect.
A senior official with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said on Sunday that Netanyahu seeks to kill Israeli captives through starvation.
Izzat al-Rishq said Israeli captives are also being affected now by the starvation and thirst policy that Netanyahu and the “Nazi” administration have imposed on the people in Gaza, emphasizing that the Israeli regime shoulders full responsibility for their condition.
“When Netanyahu could not find the hostages and kill them through airstrikes, he is now trying to end the matter by starving them,” he added.
He noted that the Palestinian resistance forces observe religious and humanitarian principles in dealing with Israeli captives, sharing their own food and water with them as they do with the wider Palestinian population.
The Hamas official emphasized that those Israeli captives who were released in the previous prisoner exchanges in good physical and mental health are now suffering from hunger, weakness and weight loss — mirroring the plight of besieged Gaza residents.
Currently, Israeli forces occupy about 75% of Gaza. The escalation announced by Netanyahu faces criticism domestically and internationally, with calls for a diplomatic resolution growing amidst rising humanitarian concerns in Gaza.
Opposition to a full occupation includes warnings that it could risk hostage lives and prolong the war.
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