Israeli chief of staff approves "main" outline of attack plan for Gaza

The Israeli armed forces confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the chief of staff had approved a plan by Israel's government to fully take over Gaza City in the next phase of the ongoing Israeli ground offensive.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu first announced his intention to take control of Gaza City and eventually the entire Gaza Strip last week, causing an international outcry and leading to numerous countries condemning the plan.

Previously, the Israeli military had captured Gaza City in October 2023 shortly after the beginning of the war, but pulled out some time after.

Although nothing is known about when Israel could start the next phase of its ground offensive, Gaza City has already been pounded by Israeli airstrikes in the past days. The attacks have reportedly caused 123 deaths among the Palestinian population in the past 24 hours. Gaza City and the neighbouring zones, which contain numerous refugee camps, are some of the most densely populated areas of the territory.

A dire humanitarian situation and no ceasefire in sight

Meanwhile, efforts to obtain a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled; international mediators such as Qatar, Egypt or the United States have not made progress in negotiations in recent weeks.

Internationally, Israel has been facing more and more criticism in recent days, notably due to its continuous blockade of numerous attempts to bring relief to the Palestinian population, which is facing a humanitarian catastrophe and an imminent famine.

Several nations, among which most recently Australia and France, have declared that they would recognise Palestinian statehood in the coming month.