WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with a small group of top ministers today to discuss plans for the military to take control of additional territory in Gaza, despite mounting criticism at home and abroad over the nearly two-year war.
Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet after a three-hour meeting this week with the army chief, which Israeli officials described as tense, saying the military commander resisted expanding the campaign.
Opinion polls show a majority of Israelis want the war to end with a deal that would lead to the release of the remaining hostages. Netanyahu’s government continues to insist on a complete victory over the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which sparked the war with a deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.
The idea of Israeli forces entering areas not already under their control in the devastated Palestinian enclave has caused alarm in Israel. The mother of one of the hostages called on citizens to take to the streets today to express opposition to the expansion of the campaign.
“Someone who talks about a comprehensive deal is not going to conquer the Strip and is endangering hostages and soldiers,” wrote Einav Zangauker on the X network, addressing Netanyahu.
The Hostage Families Forum, which represents those held in Gaza, called on Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to oppose the expansion of the war and urged the government to accept a deal that would end the conflict and allow the release of the remaining hostages.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that the military would implement government decisions until all war goals are achieved. Israeli leaders have long insisted that Hamas must be disarmed, that it must have no future role in a demilitarized Gaza, and that all hostages must be released.
The United Nations has said that reports of a possible expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza are “deeply disturbing” if they prove to be true.
There are still 50 hostages in Gaza, of whom Israeli officials believe 20 are still alive. Most of the hostages released so far have been released through diplomatic negotiations. Ceasefire talks, which could have resulted in the release of some of the hostages, collapsed in July.
A senior Palestinian official said Hamas had told Arab mediators that increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza would lead to the resumption of ceasefire talks.
Israeli officials accuse Hamas of seizing aid to distribute to its fighters and selling in Gaza markets to finance operations, a charge the militant group denies.
Footage released last week showed two live hostages exhausted and starving, sparking international condemnation.
Hamas, which ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but now controls only parts of it, insists any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war. Israel says the group has no intention of relinquishing power after a deal.
