Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza City

Gaza City, Aug 11: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to complete a new offensive in Gaza "fairly quickly" after his security cabinet approved plans to take control of Gaza City amid escalating air strikes. The offensive aims to defeat Hamas and secure the release of hostages, Netanyahu said, stressing the goal is not to occupy Gaza but to establish a security belt near Israel’s border.

Late Sunday, Gaza City witnessed intensified Israeli air raids, with at least five killed at a sandwich shop in the Sabra neighborhood and seven others dead near al-Shifa Hospital, including five Al Jazeera journalists, among them correspondent Anas Al-Sharif. Israel’s military claimed Al-Sharif was a Hamas operative, a charge dismissed by human rights groups as unsubstantiated.

Netanyahu spoke with US President Donald Trump about the offensive, reaffirming US support and plans to increase aid access to Gaza. However, European members of the UN Security Council warned that expanding military operations would worsen civilian suffering, highlighting an unfolding famine in the enclave.

Gaza’s health ministry reported five more deaths from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the toll to 217, including 100 children. Aid deliveries remain restricted amid ongoing conflict.

The current hostilities began on October 7, 2023, after a Hamas attack killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. Israel’s response has killed over 61,000 Palestinians and devastated much of Gaza.