The Israeli army officially announces the start of Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” on Gaza
The Israeli army announced on Friday the expansion of its aggression in the Gaza Strip, and the launch of extensive strikes within what it called Operation “Gideon’s Chariots”.
The Israeli army said in a statement, “Over the past day (Friday), the army began launching extensive strikes and moving forces to seize areas inside the Gaza Strip, as part of the initial stages of Operation Gideon’s Chariots”.
The statement added, “The battle in the Gaza Strip has also been expanded with the aim of achieving all the war’s objectives, including the liberation of the kidnapped soldiers and the defeat of Hamas”.
The “Gideon Chariots” operation aims to occupy all of Gaza, according to what the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on May 5.
In early May, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the “Gideon Chariots ” operation plan.
The Israeli government subsequently began preparing for the operation by calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
“Over the past few days, tens of thousands of reserve soldiers have received notices from their commanders, asking them to prepare for this,” Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday.
The operation is called “Merkavot Gideon” in Hebrew, meaning “Gideon’s Chariots,” which carries religious, historical, and military connotations. Israel named one of its operations during the 1948 Nakba “Operation Gideon,” which aimed to seize control of the Palestinian area of Beit Shean and expel its inhabitants.
The naming of the operation to expand the war in Gaza as “Gideon’s Chariots ” indicates the nature of the occupation intended to be implemented in the Strip as part of the Israeli plan.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, this operation, which is likely to last for several months, includes the complete evacuation of the entire population of Gaza from combat zones, including northern Gaza, to areas in the southern Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army will remain in any area it occupies.
The operation won’t include the implementation of a humanitarian plan that differentiates between aid and Hamas, except after the start of field operations and the large-scale evacuation of residents to the south.
Over the past four days, Israel has intensified its genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip, committing dozens of horrific massacres.
This coincided with US President Donald Trump’s tour of the region, during which he promised Gaza’s Palestinians a better future and an end to hunger.
During Trump’s three-day tour, which he departed from the UAE on the fourth day, the Israeli army killed more than 378 Palestinians.
This is a toll nearly four times the number of casualties during the four days preceding the tour, which reached nearly 100.
Israel has been blockading Gaza for 18 years, leaving approximately 1.5 million Palestinians out of a population of approximately 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed in the war of extermination.
The Gaza Strip is suffering from a severe famine due to Israel’s blocking the crossings to humanitarian aid.
