Israel ready for next phase of offensive on Gaza Strip

Meanwhile, Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that the military has submitted a battle plan to the Israeli cabinet.

Israel is preparing an offensive against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in response to the militant group’s attack on southern Israel on October 7. The Israeli military announced on October 14 that it was deploying forces across the country and increasing its readiness for the next phase of the conflict, and ordered Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south. The evacuation order has been met with international opposition.

On October 17, the spokesperson for the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, stated that Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the evacuation of people in the northern part of the territory could be considered an act of forced displacement of civilians and a violation of international law. She expressed concern that this evacuation order, along with the complete blockade of Gaza, would not be considered a legitimate temporary evacuation, but a forced displacement of civilians, a violation of international law. Evacuees are currently stranded in the southern part of the Gaza Strip with rapidly depleting food supplies, lack of shelter, and lack of clean water, sanitation, medicine and other essentials.

In a separate statement, the World Food Programme (WFP) said food supplies in Gaza were running low and that it was stockpiling supplies in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish. Abeer Etefa, WFP's regional communications officer for the Middle East and North Africa, said she hoped to be able to deliver aid as soon as the border was opened. She called for a safe corridor to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), fuel reserves at all hospitals across Gaza are only enough for the next 24 hours. Stopping backup generators would put thousands of patients at risk.

On October 17, Jordan's King Abdullah II warned of a dire situation in the Middle East if the conflict between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement spreads to other countries.

Speaking after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, King Abdullah II stressed the importance of stepping up efforts to prevent the entire region from falling into conflict.

For his part, Prime Minister Scholz affirmed that both sides share the same goal of preventing disaster in the region.

According to the plan, Chancellor Scholz will arrive in Israel on October 17. He will be the first foreign government leader to visit Israel since the conflict with Hamas broke out on October 7.