Netanyahu declares '2nd independence war', ground invasion widens

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a “second war of independence” after revealing that the widening of the ground invasion has been approved.

“Our objective is singular: to defeat the murderous enemy. We declared ‘never again’, and we reiterate: ‘never again, now’.

“In the initial weeks of the war, we launched massive airstrikes that dealt a severe blow to the enemy.

“We eliminated many terrorists. However, we are only at the beginning. The battle within the Gaza Strip will be difficult and long; this is our second war of independence,” he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Meanwhile, The Independent reported that Netanyahu’s remarks come amid the order for residents in the north of the bombarded enclave to evacuate south.

It said Gaza residents have described the latest bombardment as the most intense since the start of the war.

With most communications knocked out, The Independent said: “This largely cut off the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million people from the world while enabling the Israeli military to control the narrative in a new stage of fighting.”

The BBC reported that Hamas-run authorities said hundreds of buildings were destroyed in the strikes, and that at least 377 people were killed in the past day whereas Israel’s military said its warplanes hit 150 underground targets, including tunnels and other infrastructure.

In the West Bank, Al Jazeera reported that violence has also escalated with at least 105 Palestinians killed, and another 1,550 arrested in a crackdown by Israeli forces.

“Palestinian cities and villages have been cut off from one another through the Israeli closures and the threat of settler attacks, resulting in a near-complete commercial standstill and severe restrictions on movement,” it said.

‘Genocide’

In a related development, Jewish Voice for Peace published the names of the more than 2,000 Palestinian children killed in the ongoing war.

“This is what genocide looks like. These are the 2,913 Palestinian children killed by the Israeli military this month, as of Thursday, Oct 26. As the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza intensify, we recognise with horror and grief that this death toll is already inaccurate,” it said.

Jewish Voice for Peace is the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organisation in the world, and it “envisions a world where all people - from the US to Palestine - live in freedom, justice, equality, and dignity.” - Mkini