Israel starts military operation to occupy Gaza City despite ceasefire efforts

CAIRO – 21 August 2025: The Israeli military announced on Wednesday starting its globally-condemned operation aimed at taking over Gaza City and imposing security control over the entire enclave, Reuters reported.

Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin stated that Israeli forces have initiated what he described as the “first stages of the attack” on Gaza City and are now holding the outskirts of the city.

The move defies global calls for ending the war and ongoing efforts by the Arab mediators to achieve ceasefire and release captives held by Hamas.

Hamas condemned the move as “an escalation of the genocide and a blatant disregard for the efforts made by mediators to halt the aggression and [facilitate] the exchange of prisoners.”

The Israeli move comes while Egypt and Qatar are pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza, in a bid to end the war that has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians over the past 22 months.

The two Arab mediators recently submitted a proposal for a 60-day truce, based on an earlier plan put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff, which would see Hamas release half of the captives they hold — both living and deceased.

Hamas has accepted the proposal and Egypt is calling for Israel to also endorse it to ensure a captive-prisoner swap deal and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into hunger-stricken Gaza.

 

Palestinians already started fleeing parts of Gaza City, home to nearly one million people, after the Israeli army began the first stages of the operation, according to media reports, citing city officials.

The new operation, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots II,” is a continuation of the original “Gideon’s Chariots” campaign launched in May, which sought to occupy the majority of the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have already taken control of around 75% of the strip.

Hamas in a Telegram post on Wednesday accused the Israeli government of committing a “fully-fledged war crime” by “aiming to destroy Gaza City and displace its residents.”

“At a time when the movement has expressed its approval of the latest proposal presented by the mediators, the Zionist terrorist government insists on continuing its brutal war against innocent civilians,” the statement read.

Hamas warned that the Gideon’s Chariots II operation “will fail, just as previous military operations have failed.”

“The occupation will not achieve its goals, and occupying Gaza will not be a picnic,” added the statement.

Hamas called for mediators to exert maximum pressure on Israel to “stop its genocide and starvation campaign against our Palestinian people.”

The movement said it holds Israel and the US administration fully responsible for the consequences of the new operation, which “aims to destroy what remains of the essentials of life in Gaza.”