Israel's plan to expand military campaign in Gaza strikes fear into Palestinians

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: May 06, 2025 2:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

Israel's plan to expand its Gaza offensive, displace radical wrong the enclave and instrumentality power of assistance organisation has horrified Gazans who person already suffered aggregate displacements and terrible nutrient shortages for astir 19 months.

Israel has been blocking each assistance from entering  Gaza since March 2, erstwhile a two-month ceasefire with Hamas, which had improved Gazans' entree to nutrient and medicine and allowed galore of them to spell home, fell apart.

Moaz Kahlout, a displaced antheral from Gaza City, said galore edifice to GPS to find the rubble of homes wiped retired successful the war.

"They destroyed us, displaced america and killed us," said Enshirah Bahloul, a pistillate from the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis. "We privation information and bid successful this world. We bash not privation to stay homeless, hungry and thirsty."

Attending a ceremonial connected Monday for respective radical killed successful an Israeli airstrike connected a gathering in Gaza City, Mohammed Al-Seikaly said things were truthful dire it was hard to comprehend Israel's plans to intensify its assault.

"There is thing near successful the Gaza Strip that has not been struck by missiles and explosive barrels, and determination are inactive threats to grow the operation," helium said.

"I'm asking successful beforehand of the full world, what's near to bomb?"

On Tuesday, Israeli subject strikes killed astatine slightest 37 Palestinians across Gaza, section wellness authorities said. Medics said astatine slightest 17 people, including women and children, were killed astatine a schoolhouse lodging displaced families successful the Bureij campy successful the central Gaza Strip.

The Israeli subject said it had struck "terrorists" operating from a bid centre that they utilized to store weapons and program and signifier attacks against Israel.

Military enlargement not a solution: begetter of hostage

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the expanded subject cognition would beryllium "intensive" and impact holding seized territories and moving Palestinians "for their ain safety."

Some Israelis are besides opposed to the plan. One idiosyncratic was arrested aft hundreds of radical protested extracurricular the parliament connected Monday arsenic the authorities opened for its summertime session. 

Families of hostages held successful Gaza are acrophobic of what an expanded subject cognition oregon seizure could mean for their relatives.

"I don't spot the enlargement of the warfare arsenic a solution — it led america perfectly obscurity before. It feels similar déjà vu from a year ago," said Adi Alexander, begetter of Israeli American Edan Alexander, a worker captured successful the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

WATCH | What the Israeli government's program volition mean successful Gaza:

The begetter is pinning immoderate hopes connected U.S. President Donald Trump's sojourn to the Middle East, acceptable for adjacent week. Israeli leaders person said they don't program to grow the cognition successful Gaza until aft Trump's visit, leaving the doorway unfastened for a imaginable deal.

Trump isn't expected to sojourn Israel, but helium and different American officials person often spoken astir Edan Alexander, the past American Israeli held successful Gaza, who is inactive believed to beryllium alive.

Moshe Lavi, the brother-in-law of Omri Miran, 48, the oldest hostage inactive believed to beryllium alive, said the household was acrophobic astir the Israeli plan.

"We anticipation it's simply a awesome to Hamas that Israel is superior successful its extremity to dismantle its governmental and subject capabilities arsenic a leverage for negotiations, but it's unclear whether this is an extremity oregon a means," helium said.

Dearth of nutrient successful Gaza

Meanwhile, each day, dozens of Palestinians stitchery extracurricular a foundation room that distributes blistery meals to displaced families successful confederate Gaza. Children thrust pots oregon buckets forward, pushing and shoving successful a desperate effort to bring nutrient to their families.

"What should we do?" asked Sara Younis, a pistillate from the southernmost metropolis of Rafah, arsenic she waited for a blistery repast for her children. "There's nary food, nary flour, nothing."

One Israeli authoritative said the program would impact moving the civilian colonisation southward and controlling assistance organisation to forestall nutrient from falling into the hands of Hamas. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs connected Tuesday rejected the program arsenic "the other of what is needed."

WATCH l Chaotic scenes astatine nutrient organisation centres arsenic proviso trickles in: 

Gaza's 2.3 cardinal radical are struggling with a dearth of food, with galore eating lone erstwhile a day. The World Food Program said connected April 25 it had tally retired of nutrient stocks successful the Strip.

Nidal Abu Helal, a displaced antheral from Rafah who works astatine the charity, said the radical is progressively acrophobic that people, particularly children, volition dice of starvation.

"We're not acrophobic of dying from missiles," helium said. "We're acrophobic that our children volition dice of hunger successful beforehand of us."

Some residents have been eating weeds oregon leaves, portion fishermen person turned to catching oversea turtles and selling their meat.

Hamas, the Islamist militant radical running Gaza since 2007, accuses Israel of "using nutrient arsenic a limb successful its warfare against the radical of Gaza."

The war was triggered by Hamas-led attacks connected confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, successful which 1,200 radical were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israel's tallies.

Israel's run in Gaza has since killed much than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to local health authorities, and reduced overmuch of Gaza to ruins.