Try GOLD - Free
Israeli minister says Gaza will be destroyed and people driven out
The Guardian
|May 07, 2025
Remarks prompt fears of ethnic cleansing in occupied territory
An Israeli government minister has said "Gaza will be entirely destroyed" as a result of an Israeli military victory, and its Palestinian population will "leave in great numbers to third countries", raising fears of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territory.
The declaration yesterday by the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, came a day after Israel's security cabinet approved a plan for Operation Gideon's Chariots, which an Israeli official said would entail "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories".
The Israeli threat to seize control of the territory permanently has stirred global outrage.
"We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's operations," the UK's Middle East minister, Hamish Falconer, said. "Any attempt to annex land in Gaza would be unacceptable."
After the offensive was announced, Hamas said it was no longer interested in talks with Israel and urged the international community to halt Israel's "hunger war", a reference to the total blockade on aid to Gaza in place for more than two months.
"There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip," Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said.
Effie Defrin, Israel's chief military spokesperson, said the planned offensive would include "moving most of the population of the Gaza Strip... to protect them".
This story is from the May 07, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Maternity care not fit for purpose, says report
A powerful maternity commissioner will be appointed to push through a transformation of childbirth care in England after a review concluded that the system was not fit for purpose.
7 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
Burnham puts No 10 North at heart of bid to ‘rewire’ Britain
PM in waiting lays out devolution blueprint to rebalance ‘broken’ system
4 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
Clarke claims he was always going to quit if tournament went badly
Steve Clarke has said it was an easy decision to step down from his role as Scotland head coach because he always planned to do so if the World Cup did not go to plan.
2 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
‘The project isn’t finished’ McCullum digs in after Stokes’ exit but balks on new captain
Brendon McCullum said that “the project isn’t finished yet” as he pledged to stay on as England head coach despite the shock retirement of Ben Stokes, his captain and right-hand man over four years in charge of the Test team.
3 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
Aftershock creates panic in quake-hit Venezuela as crisis grows
A strong aftershock has rattled Venezuela, sending terrified residents racing on to the streets five days after the twin earthquakes that killed at least 1,719 people and left tens of thousands missing.
2 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
Erasmus sets the tone with lineup packed full of power
Springboks’ head coach has named aXVwith more than 900 caps for Nations Championship opener
3 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
Light and sound: how the elite can recover quicker
Chamber costing 128,000 has been installed at SW19 as players focus on aiding performance via science
3 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
City pay £17m for Maresca as he apologises to Chelsea
Enzo Maresca has been confirmed as Manchester City’s manager on a three-year contract, the Italian returning to the club where he worked for 12 months as an assistant to Pep Guardiola.
3 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
Martinelli magic puts paid to Japan the Ancelotti way
Not for the first time in this tournament, there were long periods when Brazil did not impress.
3 mins
June 30, 2026
The Guardian
'So happy' How one hospital turned poor rating around
Two days after giving birth, Juliana Nascimento Barbosa is still ecstatic about becoming a mother.
3 mins
June 30, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size