Tel Aviv, May 7 (RHC)-- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined plans on Monday for his stepped-up offensive on Gaza, saying the Palestinian population “will be moved, for its own protection.”  

Netanyahu did not say how much of Gaza Israel plans to seize; Reuters reports that could include all of Gaza’s territory. 

Earlier, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich spoke at a conference of Israeli settlers.  Smotrich said: “We are finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip. We are no longer afraid of the word 'occupation.'  We are conquering Gaza, clearing it out and taking control of every area we enter.”

On Tuesday, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Drop Site News the group won’t reenter ceasefire talks while Israel continues its deadly assault on Gaza.  Hamdan also said Hamas would only disarm if Israel ends its assault and allows for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

[ SOURCE: DEMOCRACY NOW ]