Israel's finance minister pushes ahead with settlement construction

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that around half of the casualties were in the city of Gaza in the north of the sealed-off coastal strip. The information could not initially be independently verified. Meanwhile, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wants to press ahead with settlement construction in the West Bank.

As reported by the "Times of Israel" newspaper, the minister is planning to approve tenders for the construction of around 3,400 additional settler homes. Smotrich was quoted as saying that this step "buries the idea of a Palestinian state".

In 1967, Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where more than 700,000 settlers now live among around three million Palestinians. The Israeli settlements there are illegal under international law.

The Palestinians claim the territories for their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The United Nations considers the Israeli settlements to be a major obstacle to a peace settlement because they would hardly allow any contiguous territory for the Palestinians in a possible two-state solution. A two-state solution means that Israel and an independent Palestinian state exist peacefully side by side.

Reports of starvation deaths in Gaza

According to the health authority in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, eight people, including three children, have died as a result of malnutrition. UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric announced in New York that "49 confirmed child deaths from malnutrition were reported from the beginning of the year to August 5, including 39 under the age of five". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, recently claimed that there was no hunger in Gaza.

There have been repeated reports of fatal incidents near the aid distribution points run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The foundation is supported by Israel and the USA and began its work in the sealed-off coastal area in May after Israel ended its almost three-month blockade on aid deliveries.

Israel's army chief approves further war plans

The UN emergency aid agency OCHA cited figures from the Hamas-controlled health authority in the Gaza Strip, according to which 1,859 people have been killed since the end of May while trying to get aid supplies. More than 13,590 have also been injured. Many of the approximately two million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip have to cross dangerous war zones to get aid supplies.

Meanwhile, Israel's army chief approved the deployment plans for the expansion of the war decided by Netanyahu's security cabinet. Chief of General Staff Ejal Zamir had "approved the main framework for the Israeli army's operational plan in the Gaza Strip" at a meeting, the army announced. According to Netanyahu, the plan envisages the capture of the city of Gaza as well as the destruction of Hamas in the central refugee camps. There is no concrete timetable for the expansion of the war as yet.

Warning of major risks

According to media reports, army chief Zamir had warned of the major risks of the plan. He said it would endanger soldiers and hostages believed to be in the city of Gaza. He is also said to have pointed out the exhaustion of the troops and the lack of personnel. Israeli media reported major tensions between Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said that military pressure is necessary to free the remaining hostages. His critics argue that he is prolonging the war to appease his far-right allies in the coalition, such as Finance Minister Smotrich - an accusation Netanyahu rejects. In order to survive politically, the head of government is dependent on the support of his far-right partners.

More reservists to be called up

In the end, army chief Zamir approved the political leadership's guidelines, but at the same time emphasized the importance of "increasing the readiness of the troops" and giving them time "to regroup and recover before the upcoming missions", according to the army at a meeting. Preparations must also be made for the call-up of additional reservists. The meeting was attended by the General Staff, representatives of the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet and other commanders.

Reports of further deaths in Gaza

Meanwhile, the deaths in the Gaza Strip continue. According to Palestinian reports, there were several air strikes by the Israeli army the previous day, including in the northern city of Gaza. Several buildings were shelled. Residents there are concerned that these could be preparations for an Israeli ground offensive.

Seven people were killed in an attack northwest of Gaza at a distribution point for aid supplies, according to medical sources. Seven other people, including five children, were killed in an airstrike on their tent in the city. In another incident, five people were killed while waiting for aid south of Wadi Gaza in the central part of the coastal strip, according to the Wafa agency.

An Israeli army spokesperson said in response to an inquiry that the military was not aware of any casualties caused by army fire in the area of the Netzarim corridor in the center of the Gaza Strip. The corridor, which is controlled by the army, divides the area into a northern and southern half. There was initially no further information on the other attacks in Gaza.

The war was triggered by the attack on Israel by Hamas and other Islamist terrorists on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage in Gaza. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 61,700 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since then. The figure, which is almost impossible to verify independently, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.