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Gazans 'allowed to exit', says Netanyahu as Israel takeover begins, questions remain on where they can go
Hamas’ chief negotiator held a discussion with the Egyptian mediators on Wednesday about a ceasefire deal while Israel pounded Gaza, reported Reuters.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will be “allowed” to exit as Israel plans a takeover of the region’s main city, Gaza, which houses around half of the region's population, reported Reuters.
"They’re not being pushed out, they’ll be allowed to exit. All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us," Netanyahu reportedly told Israeli television channel i24NEWS.
Gazans to be resettled in South Sudan?
Israel is also in talks with South Sudan about the possibility of the resettlement of Gaza's population, reported Associated Press citing six people familiar with the matter.
However, the extent of these talks is still unclear.
“I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there,” said Netanyahu in the interview with i24 on Tuesday.
It has begun, say Gazans
According to Hamas, Israel has started ground incursions in the Gaza city, reported AFP. "The Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out aggressive incursions in Gaza City…These assaults represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground by force, through a scorched earth policy and the complete destruction of civilian property," Ismail Al-Thawabta, director general of the Hamas government media office in Gaza, told AFP on Wednesday.
Also read: Israel pushes for full hostage release in return for Gaza ceasefire, says Netanyahu
According to residents of Gaza city, Israeli planes and bombs pounded the eastern areas of the city and destroyed several homes in neighbourhoods such as Zeitoun and Shejaia overnight, said the Reuters report. In Zeitoun, 12 people were killed in an Israeli strike, said Al-Ahli hospital.
When the war erupted on October 7, 2023, Israel had seized the city of Gaza during the early days, but later withdrew. Now, it plans to do it again. However, Israel’s plan to reseize Gaza city is still probably weeks away, the Reuters report cited officials as saying, leaving a window for negotiations and a potential ceasefire.
Israel-Hamas negotiations: What's the status?
Meanwhile, Egypt is trying to mediate a potential ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel before the latter’s takeover plan of Gaza. The offensive has also been approved by Israel's security cabinet.
Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya held a discussion with the Egyptian mediators on Wednesday about the ceasefire deal while Israel pounded Gaza, the Reuters report said.
The negotiations held in Cairo focused on putting an end to the war, delivering aid in the region and on "ending the suffering of our people in Gaza," said Hamas official Taher al-Nono in a statement.
According to security sources in Egypt, the ceasefire negotiations also include possibility of Hamas conceding its weapons and relinquish governance in Gaza. To this, a Hamas official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the group wants Israel to pull out of Gaza, for which it is open to all ideas. However, “laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed is impossible,” the official said.
(With inputs from AP, AFP, Reuters)
