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Hamas: Gaza occupation plan will escalate genocide and forced displacement

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 18, 2025

The Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas, says Israel's plan to occupy Gaza City will only escalate genocide and forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas made the reaction after Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir officially approved Gaza City's takeover plan on Sunday, which had been proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Netanyahu also spoke of plans to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.

The occupation of Gaza City and accelerated military operations are a declaration of genocide and mass expulsion, Hamas said in a statement on Monday.

This declaration reveals the Israeli regime's despotism, its disregard for international law, and its insistence on continuing the genocide that has been ongoing for more than 22 months, under the cover of US complicity and the silence of the international community, the statement read.

Hamas also referred to an Israeli move to distribute tents among evacuating Gaza City residents, calling it a deceptive attempt to conceal further atrocities.

The movement emphasized the interconnectedness of Gaza and the West Bank, citing daily raids and settler violence as part of a broader strategy to displace Palestinians and erase their rights.

Israel is moving to take over Gaza after 22 months of war in the Gaza Strip, which has left nearly 62,000 Palestinians killed. Many of them have died due to starvation as Israel continues to restrict flow of aid to the territory.

Arab and some Western states coupled with international organizations have all warned that the Gaza City takeover plan would only exacerbate the already dire conditions in the territory.

Iran condemned the plan too, describing it as the product of the impunity Israeli leaders enjoy, which is itself the result of the comprehensive arms and political support of the United States and some European countries for the regime.

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