Israel approved a plan to conquer Gaza City and intends to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, moves described by Jordan as killing prospects for peace. The Gaza operation would mobilise an extra 60,000 Israeli troops and affect hundreds of thousands of residents in northern Gaza. Hamas and other Palestinian factions accepted a ceasefire proposal broadly matching a prior plan, while Israel has not formally responded. France and Germany condemned the planned offensive, and Israel approved a large new settlement block in the West Bank that would split the territory and undermine a prospective Palestinian state.
Israel is killing all prospects for peace in the Middle East, Jordan's foreign minister has said amid escalating international outrage over Israel's plans for a new large-scale offensive in Gaza City and its intention to massively expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Ayman Safadi made his remarks during a visit to Moscow on the same day that the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, an urban area that is home to hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Palestinian territory.
Katz announced that he had approved the plan to conquer Gaza City despite the decision earlier this week by Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza to accept a ceasefire proposal which in most of its most significant details aligns with a proposal already previously agreed by Israel. Israel has yet to formally respond. Separately on Wednesday, Israel announced that plans to build a large new illegal settlement block had been approved.
Echoing the sentiment, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said that the proposed new Gaza offensive would lead to true disaster and drag the region into permanent war. Katz's announcement, which will lead to the mobilisation of an extra 60,000 Israeli troops, was also condemned by Germany, historically one of Israel's closest allies in Europe, which said it rejects the escalation of Israel's campaign in Gaza.
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