Eurasia Press & News
New orders issued to Israeli military commanders say freeing captives held by Hamas is the least important concern, focusing instead on control of Gaza.
New Israeli military orders presented to commanders on Tuesday listed the rescue of captives held by Hamas in Gaza as the least important priority, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
The orders, issued at the start of a new Israeli operation in Gaza titled “Gideon’s Chariots” also used the more neutral word “captives” instead of “hostages,” which has been widely used by Israel.
The operation listed the objectives of Israel’s war on Gaza as “defeating Hamas; operational control of Gaza territory; demilitarization of Gaza; targeting Hamas governance infrastructure; managing and mobilizing the civilian population,” with “securing the release of captives” as the last priority.
Israel has said that the Gideon’s Chariots operation aims for the complete control of Gaza, with the army staying indefinitely there.
The plan further aims to confine the whole of the Gaza Strip’s population to a small area of the south, with Israeli media reports stating humanitarian aid will only be distributed once a week, fuelling serious concerns that Palestinians will only be given enough food so they don’t starve to death.
The Israeli army told Hebrew media that “each representative of a Gaza family will receive exactly the amount that is sufficient for his family to prevent a situation of starvation.”
The new operation has brought renewed fears of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza, with Israel’s extreme-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, saying that the devastated territory will be “totally destroyed”.
There are believed to be only 21 Israeli captives left alive in Gaza, with three reported to have died ever since Israel broke a ceasefire agreement with Hamas last March, resuming deadly attacks on the territory.
Hamas has previously offered to free them in exchange for a five-year truce.
The new orders contradict previous statements by Israeli military leaders which said that freeing Israeli captives is the most important goal of Israel’s war.
Israel also often claimed that its resumption of the brutal war on Gaza was to “put pressure on Hamas” to release remaining captives.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,760 people, with tens of thousands of uncounted victims believed to be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Israel’s siege on the territory has led to famine-like conditions, and nearly the entire population of 2.3 million have been displaced from their homes.
