By Laith Al-Jnaidi and Ali Semerci
AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - A retired Jordanian general said Israel’s bombing of the northern Gaza Strip is not part of a so-called "Generals' Plan," as reported by several outlets, but rather a series of "random" bombings.
Kasid Ahmed said in an interview with Anadolu that Israel's “genocidal” actions in northern Gaza are meant to forcibly relocate Palestinians to the insecure al-Mawasi area, located further west, as part of a larger Zionist project.
The Israeli military this Monday encouraged Palestinians in northern Gaza, specifically Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya, and Beit Lahiya, to leave their homes and move to the al-Mawasi area, which it claimed is "safe." Israel has several times pushed Palestinians into so-called “safe zones” in which they again found themselves pounded by Israeli attacks.
Israeli media previously reported that the move was part of the "Generals' Plan," which involves evacuating northern Gaza and imposing a strict siege in preparation for an expansion of Israeli settlements into the strip.
Israeli news outlet Ynet reported last month that a displacement plan, dubbed the "Generals' Plan," had been presented to the government by former generals.
The plan also proposed making the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza, along with all surrounding neighborhoods, a closed military zone.
- Main goal: Forcible displacement of Palestinians
Ahmed argued that Israel's operations in northern Gaza are the first phase of its continuing genocide.
"The Israeli military seeks to divide and fragment Gaza to make its operations easier," he said. "The current objective is to completely empty northern Gaza or leave only a small population behind.”
"The Zionist project aims to fully evacuate Gaza, and what we are witnessing now is the first stage of a genocide aimed at displacing people toward Mawasi."
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, for the last year Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
More than 42,000 people have since been killed by Israeli attacks, most of them women and children, and nearly 98,000 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of Gaza amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.