The Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday that Israeli Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, approved military plans to resume the war on the Gaza Strip if prisoner exchange negotiations and ceasefire talks fail.
اضافة اعلان
The report stated that last Thursday, Halevi approved new military plans for renewed fighting in Gaza during his visit to the Southern Command.
The report continued: "Halevi instructed the commander of the Israeli Southern Command, Yaron Finkelman, to make adjustments to ensure that the upcoming ground operation would be more efficient than the previous one."
The plans approved by Halevi include intensifying airstrikes, expanding ground movements, and evacuating the northern Gaza Strip of Palestinians. Additionally, preparations are being made to call up hundreds of thousands of reserve soldiers under emergency orders.
Israel had threatened to resume the war if the prisoner exchange negotiations and ceasefire talks failed, following Tel Aviv's refusal to implement clauses in the first phase of the agreement and its rejection of entering negotiations for the second phase.
Israel seeks to extend the ceasefire agreement to include a prisoner exchange but without ending the war or fully withdrawing from Gaza, as stipulated in the agreement that was signed by the Israeli government itself.
Hamas repeatedly reaffirms its commitment to implementing the agreement and demands that Israel adhere to all its clauses, urging mediators to immediately begin negotiations for the second phase, which includes Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a complete halt to the war.
Earlier in March, Israel halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a clear violation of the agreement, in a bid to pressure Hamas into extending the first phase.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation also reported that Energy Minister Eli Cohen had instructed the electricity company to cut the sole power line supplying the Gaza desalination plant.
It is likely that one of the three water lines supplying the northern Gaza Strip will also be cut, according to the report.
Since the start of the war, Israel has cut electricity to the Gaza Strip, but under international pressure and warnings, it agreed to link the Gaza desalination plant to electricity.
An Israeli technical delegation is expected to arrive in Doha today to discuss the possibility of reaching an agreement on prisoner exchanges and extending the ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said: "An Israeli delegation, including the coordinator for prisoners and missing persons, Gal Hirsch, representatives from the Shin Bet (Israeli security agency), and other officials, is expected to arrive in Doha today."
The report added that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the head of the Israeli negotiating team, will not be participating in the delegation.
Channel 12 Israeli reported that the talks in Qatar will include senior Shin Bet official "Mem," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political adviser Ofir Falk, the coordinator for prisoners and missing persons at Netanyahu's office Gal Hirsch, along with teams from the Israeli military, Mossad, and Shin Bet.
The channel further added that U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Wittkoff, will travel to Doha on Tuesday to participate in the talks.
Since October 7, 2023, with U.S. support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza, resulting in over 160,000 Palestinian casualties, most of whom are women and children, and over 14,000 missing persons. (Anadolu)
