Hamas urges international community to halt Israeli ‘hunger war’ on Gaza

Hamas has called on the international community to halt Israel’s “hunger war” on Gaza after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his forces will launch a new intensive offensive on the territory.

“There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip,” Basem Naim said, urging the international community “to pressure the Netanyahu government to end the crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings” in Gaza.

Israel’s security cabinet approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza including the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory, an official said Monday, after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists for the offensive.

It comes as the United Nations and aid organizations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.

In a video posted on X, Netanyahu said: “Population will be moved, for its own protection.”

He said Israeli soldiers won’t go into Gaza, launch raids and then retreat.

“The intention is the opposite of that,” he said.

The plan, approved by the cabinet overnight, comes amid a push by Israel for Palestinians to leave the territory.

A “voluntary transfer program for Gaza residents… will be part of the operation’s goals,” the senior security official added.