Allies warn Israel amid renewed Gaza offensive

UK, France, and Canada warned they may impose targeted sanctions if Israel doesn’t halt a renewed Gaza offensive and lift aid restrictions. Israel launched the “Gideon’s Chariots” operation with heavy airstrikes followed by expanded ground incursions in northern and southern Gaza, aiming to defeat Hamas and secure hostages; Netanyahu said Israel plans to take control of the entire strip. Gaza health authorities report hundreds killed in recent days and over 53,000 dead since October 2023, mostly women and children, with the last northern hospital shut. Under allied pressure, Israel said it would allow a “basic amount of food” in, and a handful of trucks entered, but the UN called it vastly insufficient amid famine risk for 2.1 million people. A broader group of countries urged a full resumption of aid. Netanyahu argued more aid risks aiding Hamas but acknowledged Israel could lose international support if famine unfolds. An American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is being set up to run a tightly controlled aid mechanism, drawing UN concern it could further depopulate northern Gaza. Indirect Israel-Hamas talks in Doha continue without a ceasefire deal.

Israel has intensified its offensive in Gaza with “preliminary” strikes followed by a ground push aimed at conquering and holding territory—potentially permanently—under its pledge of “total victory.” This strategy risks prolonged conflict, greater Israeli troop vulnerability, and offers Hamas little incentive to release remaining hostages, undermining ceasefire prospects. Concentrating two million Gazans near Rafah is worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis, for which Israel is being blamed. Internal Israeli doubts are growing: hostage families fear for captives’ lives, and media reports suggest IDF commanders question the operation’s goals. Despite skepticism, political pressures within Netanyahu’s coalition make retreat unlikely, narrowing paths to a truce and leaving Gaza’s fate uncertain.

Israel will permit a limited amount of food into Gaza to avert a starvation crisis after nearly three months of a total aid blockade that began on 2 March. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the move aims to support the expansion of military operations against Hamas while preventing famine, and pledged to stop Hamas from controlling aid distribution. The decision follows UN-backed warnings that one in five Gazans faces starvation amid Israel’s intensified offensive, which Palestinian authorities say has killed over 53,000 people since the war began. The IDF reported striking more than 670 Hamas targets in the past week as ground operations expand in both northern and southern Gaza.

Israel announced an expanded ground offensive in Gaza aimed at forcing Hamas’s surrender, with Netanyahu suggesting Israel could gradually take control of the entire enclave. Despite the rhetoric, activity so far has centered on intensified airstrikes and limited ground maneuvers near the border, with satellite imagery showing operations around northern Gaza, Khan Younis, and extensive destruction in Rafah. The push coincides with faltering cease-fire talks and growing international pressure, including a joint reprimand from Britain, France, and Canada. Israel says Hamas can halt the advance by releasing hostages. Civilian tolls continue to rise: more than 400 Palestinians have been killed since mid-May and over 53,000 since the war began, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel’s strikes have targeted senior Hamas figures, while asserting efforts to minimize civilian harm. After over two months of a total aid blockade, Israel allowed limited assistance, with about 90 truckloads entering by Thursday—far short of needs amid widespread hunger and famine risk, according to the U.N. The move follows mounting international and U.S. pressure. Mass displacement persists: most of Gaza’s roughly two million residents have been uprooted multiple times, with new evacuation orders around Khan Younis driving people into overcrowded tent camps like Mawasi as fear of a broader ground incursion grows.