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Israeli Defense Minister Warns of Further Strikes on Iran, Calls for Gaza Ethnic Cleansing
Confirmed
In Short: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has stated that Israel is ready to launch further strikes against Iran and that the de-population of Gaza is the 'only solution'.
Speaking at a conference, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Israel is prepared to resume strikes against Iran, emphasizing the military's readiness to 'resume the campaign in Iran' with increased force if necessary.
Katz also stated that the de-population of Gaza, euphemistically described as 'migration,' is the 'only solution' for the territory, aligning with previous calls for ethnic cleansing by some Israeli officials and supported by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
In response to Katz's statements, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and fellow Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley warned of Israel's plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza, having visited the Gaza-Egypt border in the previous year.
Iran retaliated to Israel's threats by launching attacks against U.S. military facilities in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions.
Background
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest.
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Speaking at a conference organised by Israeli publication Ynet on Wednesday, Katz said de-populating Gaza – which some Israeli officials euphemistically describe as voluntary “immigration” or “migration” of…
- “In the end, there is no real solution for Gaza without this migration,” Katz said, according to the Times of Israel.
- Palestinian rights advocates have argued for nearly three years that the ultimate goal of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza is to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian territory.
- Some far-right Israeli officials have previously openly called for depopulating Gaza, and Trump backed the idea early in his presidency, saying that the United States would take over the enclave and “own” the…
- Katz said the Israeli government is prepared to take Gaza “by sea, by air and by any means to do it”.
- Katz said the ethnic cleansing plan is “being discussed all the time”.
- In July, Trump announced an agreement to disarm Hamas as part of a US-backed process that would include an Israeli withdrawal and an end to the deadly attacks on the Palestinian territory.
- Responding to Katz’s statement, US Senator Chris Van Hollen said he and fellow Democratic Party Senator Jeff Merkley warned that Israel is planning to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian enclave after visiting the…