This came according to a statement issued by the movement on Friday, in which it said that "the Zionist cabinet's approval of plans to occupy Gaza City and evacuate its residents is a new war crime that the occupation army intends to commit against the city and its nearly one million (Palestinian) residents."
Early Friday morning, the Israeli government approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to occupy the remaining Gaza Strip. His office stated that the army was "preparing to take control of Gaza City, while distributing humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones," it claimed.
Hamas stressed that the decision is "a continuation of the (Israeli) policy of genocide, forced displacement, and brutal practices that amount to ethnic cleansing against our Palestinian people."
She pointed out that "the occupation's manipulation of words and its replacement of the term 'occupation' with 'control' is nothing but a blatant attempt to evade its legal responsibility for the consequences of its brutal crime against civilians."
Earlier on Friday, the privately owned Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted unnamed informed political sources as saying that the resolution avoided using the word "occupation" and replaced it with "control" for legal reasons, but acknowledged that the actual goal was to occupy the Gaza Strip.
The concerns the Netanyahu government has evaded relate to international legal responsibility toward civilians in the Gaza Strip, according to the sources.
"It won't be a picnic"
Hamas noted that "the criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their prisoners, and they realize that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them."
She stressed that "the decision clearly explains the reason for the occupation's sudden withdrawal from the last round of negotiations, which was on the verge of reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement."
The movement explained that it had offered "all the necessary flexibility and positivity to ensure the success of ceasefire efforts, and would spare no effort in taking all steps that pave the way for reaching an agreement."
On July 24, Israel withdrew from indirect negotiations with Hamas in Doha, following Tel Aviv's intransigence regarding the withdrawal from Gaza, ending the genocide, Palestinian prisoners, and the mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid.
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In this context, Hamas warned the "criminal occupation that this criminal adventure will cost it dearly, and will not be a walk in the park," and held the "US administration fully responsible for the occupation's crimes, due to providing political cover and direct military support for its aggression."
She called on "the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court to assume their legal and moral responsibilities, take urgent action to halt this plan, and hold the occupation leaders accountable for their crimes against our Palestinian people."
"gradual plan"
On Thursday evening, during a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu presented a "gradual" plan to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, despite opposition from the military establishment due to the threat it poses to the lives of prisoners and soldiers.
The plan calls for the Israeli occupation army to begin moving into areas it has not previously entered, "with the aim of seizing control" of the central Gaza Strip and Gaza City, despite warnings from Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir against such a move.
According to Netanyahu's proposal, the plan would begin with the displacement of Gaza City's Palestinians southward, followed by the encirclement of the city, followed by additional incursions into population centers, according to the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
During the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation army occupied all of Gaza City, with the exception of small areas, and remained there for several months before withdrawing from most of its areas in April 2024 after announcing the "destruction of Hamas's infrastructure in the city."
Of the entire Gaza Strip, parts of Deir al-Balah city and the camps in the central governorate (Nuseirat, Maghazi, and Bureij) remained unoccupied by Israeli forces, but hundreds of buildings there were destroyed by air and artillery bombardment, according to Palestinian officials.
The areas not occupied by Israeli forces on the ground represent only about 10-15% of the Gaza Strip's area, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent, citing local officials.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The Israeli genocide left 61,258 Palestinians dead, 152,045 injured, and more than 9,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, and famine claimed the lives of many, including dozens of children.
