There is an increasing focus in the Arab states on the upcoming battle for Gaza City. Israel has vowed to attack Hamas strongholds in Gaza City, and reports say 60,000 soldiers are being called up for the battle.
This looks to be a major battle for a large urban area. There are concerns in the region about what will come next in Gaza. The evidence for the close focus on this is the frequent reports in Arabic media about what may happen in the future.
“Israel prepares to evacuate thousands from Gaza, Red Cross warns,” Saudi Arabia-based Al Arabiya news channel reported. “The Red Cross confirms that mass evacuation is impossible.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has called for the international community to do more to stop the IDF offensive in Gaza City. The Arab states are aware that European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas has said sanctions against Israel are unlikely.
Therefore, the regional states are hoping to get other countries to ratchet up the pressure.
“Jordan’s foreign minister [Ayman Safadi] on Friday called on the international community to take stronger action against Israel in response to the nation’s latest military offensive in Gaza, warning that continued impunity will only fuel further regional instability,” Saudi Arabia-based Arab News newspaper reported. He praised the foreign ministers of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain for their joint condemnation of the upcoming offensive, the report said.
“The impunity with which Israel is making a mockery of international law cannot continue,” Safadi was quoted as saying. “[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu thrives on conflict,” he said, adding that the policies of the Israeli government were a “racist, inhumane ideology that the world should not tolerate.”
Safadi accused Netanyahu of “destroying Gaza, destroying hopes for a just peace, and setting fire to the entire region” to save his own political career.
“He prefers the war to continue,” he said. “This is the horrific reality that the international community cannot ignore anymore. We urge all countries to adopt the position of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain, and others who are standing on the side of peace and justice, and act now to stop more slaughtering of innocent Palestinians,” Arab News reported.
Al Arabiya focused on the battle for the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. It had been taken over by Israel seven times in the Israel-Hamas War, and now it was again.
Disputes over number of Gazans who have left Gaza City
There is a dispute about the number of Gazans left in Gaza City. Israeli sources claim that there are only 10,000 left in key neighborhoods, Al Ain News, a UAE-based news site, reported.
Al Arabiya reported: “Israeli forces declared Gaza City outside the scope of any humanitarian truce on Friday, classifying it as a dangerous combat zone.”
The plans for Gideon’s Chariots II had been approved on August 21, the report said. “This came more than two weeks after the launch of a large-scale military operation in the Zeitoun neighborhood, which extended to the adjacent Sabra neighborhood in southern Gaza City,” it added.
Al Ain News focused on the dilemmas Israel will face as it moves forward.
“The difference from previous operations in Shujaiya [Shejaia] and Zeitoun, according to [Erez] Weiner, is that ‘the population was evacuated and a total siege was imposed, leaving only armed Hamas members,’” the report said.
It suggested that Israel would enter Gaza City and remain there, rather than carry out raids as in 2024. Resources, such as water, would be under Israeli control.
Al Ain News also focused on perceived differences between the political echelon in Israel and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. The mission could take months and lead to exhaustion, Al Ain News reported.
“Though the army asserts that the buildings will be demolished for operational reasons only, field estimates indicate that entire neighborhoods will likely be destroyed, similar to what happened in Rafah and the northern Gaza Strip,” the report said.
Some Israeli officials “make no secret of their desire to promote the ‘voluntary migration’ of Palestinians, but experts describe this proposal as ‘unrealistic,’” Al Ain News reported.
At the same time, there was no clear “day after” plan for Gaza, the report said. “The army opposes the establishment of a long-term Israeli military administration, but acknowledges that the absence of a ready alternative may impose a temporary solution,” it said.
“The political echelon believes that the success of the operation is measured by achieving two goals: concluding a comprehensive deal to release the hostages, and establishing a local, technocratic administration as an alternative to Hamas,” Al Ain News reported.