UN chief 'alarmed' by Israel's Gaza conquest plan – but minister says no concerns from Trump
UN chief 'alarmed' by Israel's Gaza conquest plan – but minister says no concerns from Trump
Brett Wilkins

UN chief 'alarmed' by Israel's Gaza conquest plan – but minister says no concerns from Trump

“I don’t feel that there is pressure on us from Trump and his administration,” said Ze’ev Eklin. “They understand exactly what is happening here.”

The office of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 5 May condemned Israeli Cabinet ministers’ vote to capture the entire Gaza Strip amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault, while a prominent Knesset lawmaker claimed US President Donald Trump would not object to his far-right government’s plans to indefinitely occupy the Palestinian enclave.

Fugitive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet  unanimously approved Operation Gideon’s Chariots, an expansion of the 577-day onslaught that has left more than 185,000 Gazans dead, wounded, or missing and millions more forcibly displaced, starved, or sickened. The  Israel Defence Forces said on 2 May that it was calling up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of the planned offensive.

An unnamed Israeli official  told The Times of Israel the plan involves the “conquering of Gaza”, indefinitely occupying the Palestinian territory, and forcibly expelling its inhabitants to the southern part of the strip in order to defeat Hamas and secure the release of all remaining hostages kidnapped on 7 October 2023.

The official said the plan would not be implemented until after Trump’s scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE later this month.

Discussing the plan, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that “we are occupying Gaza to stay – no more going in and out.”

“This is a war for victory, and it’s time we stop fearing the word occupation,” he added. “We will settle the battle with Hamas – we will not surrender, they will.”

The conquest, ethnic cleansing, and recolonisation of Gaza is a top objective of many far-right Israelis. Last July, the International Court of Justice — which is weighing a genocide case against Israel — found that the country’s 58-year occupation of  Palestine is an illegal form of apartheid that must end as soon as possible.

Guterres’ office warned on 5 May that the planned Israeli offensive would have catastrophic consequences for Gaza’s embattled population.

“I can tell you that the secretary-general is alarmed by these reports of Israeli plans to expand ground operations and prolong its military presence in Gaza,” Guterres spokesperson Farhan Haq  said at a press briefing, adding that the operation “will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza”.

“What’s imperative now is an end to the violence, not more civilian deaths and destruction,” Haq stressed. “Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state.”

European Union spokesperson Anouar El Anouni also  expressed deep concern over Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which he said “will result in further casualties and suffering for the Palestinian population”.

“We urge Israel to exercise the utmost restraint,” Anouni added.

Asked about the Israeli plan, Trump declined to comment on its military aspects and  said the US — which provides Israel with diplomatic support and billions of dollars in armed aid — would help deliver food to Palestinians, who humanitarian groups say are facing imminent famine amid Israel’s tightened blockade of Gaza. The Washington Post reported on 5 May that “American contractors” would be hired to distribute aid in the strip.

“We’re going to help the people of Gaza get some food,” Trump  told reporters on 5 May. “People are starving, and we’re going to help them get some food.”

Israeli Cabinet Minister Ze’ev Elkin  claimed Monday that Trump — who in February proposed a US takeover of Gaza — would not object to Operation Gideon’s Chariots.

“I don’t feel that there is pressure on us from Trump and his administration – they understand exactly what is happening here,” he said.

Some critics of Israel’s planned conquest of Gaza accused Netanyahu of impeding the hostages’ release by unilaterally breaking a January ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

“The Israeli hostages would now have been free, along with hundreds of innocent Palestinians languishing in Israeli prisons, had indicted war criminal Netanyahu not chosen to violate the cease-fire deal he had signed,” former Greek Finance Minister  Yanis Varoufakis said on social media on 5 May. “Lest we forget…”

 

Republished from Common Dreams, 5 May 2025

Brett Wilkins

Brett Wilkins is a San Francisco-based journalist and author who contributes regularly to Common Dreams and Counterpunch. He is also a member of Collective 20, a new anti-war collective with Noam Chomsky, Medea Benjamin and others.