U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced support for Israel’s planned military offensive and illegal occupation of Gaza City, claiming that Israeli captives in the enclave will only be freed “when Hamas is confronted and destroyed.”
In a brief statement posted online, Trump said, “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed. The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success.”
He also credited his coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the release of several hostages earlier, though the actual number freed under U.S. mediation remains disputed.
Trump dismissed concerns raised by some families of Israelis held in Gaza, who oppose the Gaza occupation plan, stating that only a small minority reject the strategy.
His remarks come amid growing domestic pressure in Israel, where thousands have protested to demand a ceasefire and a negotiated deal to bring hostages home.
Meanwhile, Israel’s political and military leadership has approved a sweeping new offensive dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots 2,” aimed at seizing full military occupation of Gaza City.
For 22 months, Israel has pursued a policy of systematically destroying Palestinian life in Gaza. Senior officials in government and the military openly speak of devastation and annihilation.
The remarks by former head of Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva are part of a long… pic.twitter.com/rw1fEbsF9t
— B’Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) August 17, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has described the city as “Hamas’s last stronghold,” and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that “the gates of hell will soon open,” promising intense bombardment, mass displacement, and ground maneuvers to dismantle Hamas’s infrastructure.
The operation is expected to begin in mid-September and will involve five combat divisions, including the elite 98th Division, which will re-enter the coastal enclave.
Israeli occupation forces have already begun preparing evacuation corridors to push approximately 850,000 Palestinians southward. According to Israeli media, the offensive will target densely populated neighborhoods such as Sabra, Rimal, and Sheikh Ijlin, where high-rise buildings have so far survived previous bombardments.
These structures are slated for demolition using large quantities of explosives, under the pretext of eliminating Hamas “observation posts, anti-tank positions, and tunnel networks beneath them.”
Military analysts estimate that the campaign to occupy Gaza City could last for several months.
Tens of thousands of reservists have been recalled, and additional waves of mobilization are planned.
Despite the scale of the onslaught, Israeli officials have stated that no negotiation team will be dispatched at this stage. Talks may resume only after a location is agreed upon for future discussions toward a comprehensive deal involving hostage release and an end to the war.
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Since the start of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023, most of the Palestinians killed have been civilians—among them thousands of children and women.
Independent analyses of leaked Israeli military data suggest that at least 83 percent of the casualties are non-combatants. This level of civilian loss is staggering, placing Gaza among the deadliest war zones in recent history.
Israeli airstrikes have relentlessly targeted crowded neighborhoods, hospitals, shelters, and even aid distribution points. These attacks have not only claimed lives but have devastated humanitarian efforts and forced more than 1.5 million Palestinians from their homes.
In recent weeks alone, strikes on food lines and flour trucks have killed scores of people—many of them children and elderly residents simply trying to survive.
Journalists have also been deliberately targeted. By August 2025, at least 270 media workers had been killed in Gaza, making it the most lethal conflict for journalists in modern memory.
Among those lost were respected Al-Jazeera correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, who were killed in a targeted strike on a press tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital. Their families were also attacked, with several relatives killed in separate bombings.
Press freedom organizations and UN experts have condemned these killings as intentional and unlawful, warning that they amount to war crimes and a direct assault on the right to report.
The scale of civilian suffering, and the deliberate targeting of journalists and their families, has sparked widespread outrage.
Human rights organizations, legal experts, and UN bodies continue to demand independent investigations and accountability. As the war grinds on, the cost to Gaza’s civilian population grows more devastating by the hour.
Since October 7, 2023, the officially reported number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 62,263, with more than 157,365 others wounded. The vast majority of these casualties are women and children.
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Thousands more remain missing—many feared to be buried beneath the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings, in areas that remain unreachable due to relentless bombardment, widespread devastation, and the near-total collapse of rescue operations.
Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, medical infrastructure has been decimated, and emergency teams are operating without fuel, equipment, or safe access. The scale of destruction has left families searching for loved ones with bare hands, often in silence, as communications and power grids have also been wiped out.
Humanitarian organizations warn that the true toll is likely far higher than reported, with many deaths going unrecorded amid the chaos.
This staggering loss of life reflects not only the intensity of the military campaign but the deliberate targeting of civilian zones, shelters, and aid distribution points.
As the genocide continues, Gaza’s population faces not just bombardment, but starvation, displacement, and the collapse of every system meant to protect life.
