Approves project that could divide West Bank and hamper plans for Palestinian state; an official said that the military will be operating in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where it believes Hamas is still active
Palestinians salvage items from homes destroyed in Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Tuesday. PIC/AFP
Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City, possibly in the coming days, even as negotiators scramble to bring Israel and Hamas to a ceasefire to end 22 months of fighting. The Israeli military said Wednesday that the country’s defence minister has approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists currently serving.
An official said that the military will be operating in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where it believes Hamas is still active. Israel also approved a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy plans for a future Palestinian state.
Settlement development in E1, has been under consideration for decades and received final approval from the Planning and Building Committee after the last petitions against it were rejected on August 6.
Meanwhile, the UAE carried out the 75th airdrop of aid under the ‘Birds of Goodness’ operation, in cooperation with Jordan and with the participation of Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Singapore and Indonesia. Three Palestinians died of malnutrition in Gaza in the 20 hours till Wednesday.
$1.4 bn plan to boost tank production
The Israeli government has approved a major plan to accelerate the production of Merkava tanks and the Tiger and Eitan armored personnel carriers, with a budget exceeding $1.4 billion. The Armor Acceleration Program, led by the Merkava and Vehicle Administration, will expand production infrastructure nationwide, including in peripheral regions, and increase the pool of domestic suppliers. The plan now awaits approval from the Knesset’s Defense Budget Committee before procurement contracts can be finalised.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
