GAZA: The German government is concerned about Israeli plans to take more of Gaza, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday, adding that Germany opposes a permanent division of the Palestinian territory.
Palestinians view Israel’s widening Gaza buffer zone as a part of a strategy to permanently displace them, pointing to remarks from senior ministers, including defense chief Israel Katz, saying they want to encourage “voluntary migration” from Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had directed Israel’s military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70 percent of the Palestinian territory, where the population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast.
Three Palestinians were killed on Friday afternoon after an Israeli drone targeted a gathering of civilians at Al-Shawa Square in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
Netanyahu’s directive comes as Israel escalates its attacks in Gaza, which it says target senior Hamas leaders who were involved in the 2023 attacks. On Tuesday, Israel killed Hamas’ armed wing chief, 10 days after killing his predecessor.
