New York, August 11(HS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has staunchly defended his government’s plan to seize military control of Gaza City, dismissing mounting international criticism at a heated UN Security Council emergency session. Calling the move “the best way” to end the war and dismantle Hamas, Netanyahu pledged that the offensive would proceed “fairly quickly” and without the intention of permanently occupying Gaza.
Speaking at a press conference aimed at “puncturing the lies,” he rejected accusations that Israel was starving Gaza’s population, claiming Hamas was looting aid and that Israeli hostages were “the only ones being deliberately starved.” He unveiled a three-step humanitarian plan involving safe corridors, expanded aid drops, and more distribution points managed by the controversial Israel–US-backed Gazan Humanitarian Foundation.
At the UN, the UK, France, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia warned the plan could breach international humanitarian law and jeopardise hostages’ lives. China denounced “collective punishment,” while Russia cautioned against escalating hostilities. UN officials warned the offensive risked triggering a fresh humanitarian disaster.
The US defended Israel, arguing the war could end “today” if Hamas released the hostages, and dismissing genocide accusations as “demonstrably false.”
The debate comes as protests erupt inside Israel, where thousands fear the strategy will endanger the roughly 20 surviving hostages. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began in October 2023 following Hamas’s deadly attack on southern Israel.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
