MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing forward with an effort that he says is meant to destroy Hamas in Gaza. That's despite international condemnation and opposition from hundreds of former officials from Israel's security establishment, who say they believe the major new ground offensive could put Israeli hostages in greater danger. In a news conference with international media Sunday, Netanyahu lashed out at critics.
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PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Our goal is not to occupy Gaza. Our goal is to free Gaza, free it from Hamas terrorists. The war can end tomorrow if Gaza or, rather, if Hamas lays down its arms and releases all the remaining hostages.
MARTIN: It could take weeks for Israel to begin a new military campaign on the ground, but over the weekend, it bombarded Gaza City...
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Shouting in non-English language).
MARTIN: ...Killing six journalists mostly working for Al Jazeera in a targeted airstrike. Now other residents, most of whom have been displaced at least once already, must make a hard choice because the plan approved by Israel's cabinet calls for troops to take over central Gaza and Gaza City in the north, clearing residents out of the only two areas not yet under full military occupation. NPR's Anas Baba brings us the reaction from Gaza City.
ANAS BABA, BYLINE: Gaza City was once the bustling heart of the Gaza Strip, but it's now a shell of its former self after some 22 months into the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and left most of this city rubble and ash. But it's still home to many Palestinians, like 60-year-old Saady Barakat.
SAADY BARAKAT: (Non-English language spoken).
BABA: He says the decision taken by Israel is a shock, but also not that surprising because people in Gaza have come to expect the worst. And he says he won't leave Gaza City. Before the war, it was home to nearly 1 million residents - half the population of Gaza. If Barakat follows Israeli orders, he will end up on the street or a tent, he says.
BARAKAT: (Non-English language spoken).
BABA: "No," he adds, "I would rather die here. It's more dignified than dying on the street." Others in Gaza City feel the same.
NISREEN ABU SULEIMAN: (Non-English language spoken).
BABA: This is Nisreen Abu Suleiman (ph), a mother of four. She says no matter what the Israelis say, Palestinians like her are staying in Gaza. "Where else are we supposed to go?" she asks. "We have been refugees since 1948," she says, referring to when Israel was established and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled, many to Gaza.
ABU SULEIMAN: (Non-English language spoken).
BABA: Abu Suleiman says Netanyahu's already tried everything to get Palestinians to leave their land unsuccessfully. Members of Israeli far-right government have said repeatedly the permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, a policy they call voluntary migration, is the point of the war. Though Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has no plan for Israel to permanently occupy Gaza, though Israel says it already controls up to 75% of Gaza. So Gaza resident Khaled Sakran (ph) says he has nothing left to lose. He has already experienced injustice and hunger in this war.
KHALED SAKRAN: (Non-English language spoken).
BABA: Sakran says talk of full occupation makes little difference on the ground.
SAKRAN: (Non-English language spoken).
BABA: He says "when Israel wants to let food in, they do. And when they don't, they seal us in."
Anas Baba, NPR News, Gaza City. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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