Israel threatens to partition Gaza Strip into three zones

Meanwhile peace talks between Hamas and Tel Aviv resume in Qatar as a massive ground invasion of the enclave begins

- ANDY GREGORY

Israel is preparing to divide Gaza into three tightly controlled strips of land unless Hamas accepts a ceasefire deal in a matter of days, reports citing leaked plans suggest.

Hamas and Israel resumed ceasefire talks yesterday in Qatar, as the Israeli military ramped up a bombing campaign that has killed hundreds of people in the past 72 hours, and launched a major new ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military ordered Palestinians to move to the south of Gaza earlier this week, as it began seizing control of further parts of the territory as “part of preparations” for the advance it dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariots.

But in a new development – reported on the anniversary of the Nakba, the “catastrophe” in which an estimated 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes in 1948 – further plans to carve up Gaza and its people emerged yesterday.

A map leaked by diplomats to The Times, reportedly shows plans for three tightly controlled strips of civilian land in southern, central and northern Gaza, separated by four exclusively military zones.

Under the plans, titled “Stage Three: the complete takeover of Gaza”, Palestinians would be forbidden to move between the strips without permission, potentially separating people from their land and homes, foreign firms briefed on the plans and tasked with distributing humanitarian aid told the outlet.

According to