CAIRO – 21 August 2025: Hamas condemned the launch of a new Israeli operation aimed at occupying Gaza City and displacing nearly one million residents and displaced persons, describing it as a “fully-fledged war crime.”
In a Telegram post on Wednesday, Hamas stated that the so-called 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,” warned the statement.
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday starting its globally-condemned operation aimed at taking over the northern 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 after the Israeli army began the first stages of the operation, according to media reports, citing city officials.
The “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 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 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.”
Israel’s intentions to reoccupy Gaza have sparked strong condemnation across the Arab world and among key international partners, including some of its closest Western allies.
The European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Norway, Austria, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have jointly criticized the expansion of military operations in Gaza. Germany has suspended all arms exports to Israel in response to the Israeli plans.
The announcement has also ignited protests both inside Israel and globally.
Humanitarian Concerns
The escalation has raised grave concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation as well as the fate of around 20 living captives still held by Hamas in Gaza.
The new Egyptian-Qatari proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire, during which 10 living Israeli captives and 18 bodies, representing half of the total captives, would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, sources told Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV channel on Monday.
The plan also calls for the redeployment of Israeli forces to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and the immediate launch of talks on a comprehensive agreement or permanent ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israeli government of being "indifferent to the fate of their captives, knowingly risking their lives by expanding the operations."
Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all remaining captives in one go in exchange for a permanent end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. However, Tel Aviv has asserted that it will not stop the war until Hamas is defeated.
Israel has stated that its latest operation aims to recover the remaining captives. However, most of the captives freed since the war began were released through negotiated agreements brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.
Meanwhile, the war has displaced most of the population of Gaza and brought the territory to the brink of famine, with dozens of deaths already linked to starvation.
A joint statement released last week by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), signed by 21 European countries along with Canada, Australia, and Japan, warned that “the humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels.”
“Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation,” the statement read.
Gaza’s Health Ministry also reported on Thursday that 271 people, 112 of them children, have died from starvation and malnutrition. Israel has imposed heavy restrictions on aid deliveries, which amounted to full blockade for nearly three months earlier this year.
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