The Authority reported that the Israeli occupation army is preparing to accelerate its operation to occupy Gaza City, in accordance with directives from the political leadership. The occupation army also announced the deployment of reinforcements to the Zeitoun neighborhood.
She reported that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir will arrive at the Southern Command on Sunday to approve plans to occupy Gaza City.
The Israeli army quoted the plan to occupy Gaza City as including attempts to reduce the likelihood of endangering Israeli prisoners in Gaza, noting that "the manner in which Gaza City is occupied will determine the size of the forces that will be called up, and that the army will try as much as possible to minimize the call-up of reserve soldiers to participate in the operation."
For its part, the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom claimed that the US administration's patience with Israel's war in Gaza "is beginning to run out," and that President Donald Trump has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "accelerate military operations."
The newspaper reported that Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer had previously warned during a cabinet meeting that "Washington's patience with the war in Gaza is running out."
The newspaper quoted an unnamed source close to the White House as saying that Trump asked Netanyahu to "accelerate military operations in the Gaza Strip." As of 8:30 PM GMT, neither Netanyahu's office nor the White House had commented on the reports.
In the same context, Hebrew media reported on Friday that the Israeli occupation army had received orders to prepare to invade the remaining parts of Gaza City, as part of the genocide it has been committing in the Strip for 22 months.
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The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that "a week after the cabinet approved the plan to occupy Gaza, the Israeli army received orders to prepare for a possible ground invasion." The newspaper explained that "this step is not expected to take effect before next September, and during this period, Israeli forces will continue their planned routine work, with the possibility of changes to the army's weekly schedules in preparation for the expected ground operation."
On Thursday, the newspaper reported that the Israeli army intends to call up between 80,000 and 100,000 reserve soldiers to participate in its potential operation to occupy Gaza City.
On Wednesday, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved the "central idea" of the plan to reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip, including the attack on the Zeitoun area south of Gaza City, which began Tuesday.
A week ago, the Israeli government approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to completely reoccupy the Gaza Strip, sparking international criticism and domestic protests that viewed it as a "death sentence" for the prisoners.
The plan begins with the occupation of Gaza City, displacing approximately one million Palestinians to the south, then encircling the city and carrying out incursions into residential areas. This will be followed by a second phase, which includes the occupation of refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip, large parts of which have been destroyed by Israel in a war that has been ongoing since October 7, 2023.
Israel previously occupied the Gaza Strip for 38 years, between 1967 and 2005. Approximately 2.4 million Palestinians currently live there, and it has been under siege for 18 years.
