Netanyahu scorns Europe and reaffirms Trump's "revolutionary" plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza.

Barcelona / BrusselsIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined this Wednesday the steps he plans to take with what The Hebrew army has named it Operation Chariots of Gideon, which must end "total control" of the Gaza Strip. At a press conference, the first since December, he said that Israel, together with the United States, has developed a three-phase program to distribute humanitarian aid, preventing it from reaching Hamas. The first phase includes allowing the entry of basic food supplies "to prevent a humanitarian crisis now." The last phase provides for the forced displacement of the entire population—some 2.1 million people—in the south of the Palestinian enclave: "As we take control of the Gaza territories, we will create a sterile zone in the south to protect civilians coming from other parts of Gaza," Netanyahu said.

"Our forces are taking more and more territory. At the end of this campaign, the entire Gaza Strip will be under Israeli control and Hamas will be defeated," he asserted. Former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who replaced him after he was killed in an attack on Gaza. Turn Gaza into a Mediterranean resort without Palestinians, who would be expelled to neighboring countries. He called it "correct and revolutionary" and said that Israel intends to implement it. This is the first time he has mentioned the US president's idea as a goal of the war.

Although he admitted that he has had to respond to pressure regarding humanitarian aid, the Israeli prime minister has made it clear that he is not worried about threats of sanctions from European countries: "These are the same countries that asked us not to enter Lebanon or Rafah." And he criticized that these governments "are under pressure from Islamic minorities, public opinion, and propaganda."

Traits against a delegation of diplomats

This Wednesday, an incident occurred in the West Bank that further strained relations between Israel and Europe. Israeli forces opened fire to expel a diplomatic delegation visiting Jenin, in the north of the occupied West Bank. The attack came after European Union member states agreed to review the association agreement between the European Union and Israel and investigate whether the Netanyahu government complies with human rights.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has asserted that the shooting was intended to "intimidate" and has shared images of the incident. The visit to Jenin was organized by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and included around 30 people, including diplomats and journalists. According to the Efe news agency, representatives from 24 countries from Europe, America, the Middle East, and Asia were also present, as well as members of the European Union Office, the World Food Program, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry indicated that the visit had been organized to "observe the humanitarian conditions and the crimes and violations committed by the occupation forces in the area." In the images it has distributed, one of the diplomats is seen speaking with a journalist who is interviewing him in front of a metal barrier placed by the Israeli army to restrict entry into the area when they begin to feel displaced. Then, several members of the delegation head to the vehicles to leave.

The Israeli army has accused the diplomatic delegation of "having deviated from the approved route," so soldiers have fired "warning" shots to make them withdraw. "The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] regrets the inconvenience caused," the Israeli forces said in a statement, in which they stressed that no one was injured in the incident, which took place in an "active combat zone."

The town of Jenin, and in particular its refugee camp, has become one of the hotbeds of the largest Israeli military operation in the West Bank occupied since the Second Intifada (2000-2005), in which dozens of Palestinians, including several children, have died.

The EU calls on Israel to investigate the events

The EU's reaction was swift, and the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has already asked Tel Aviv to investigate the events. "They were warning shots, but, at the end of the day, they were shots. We urge Israel to investigate who is responsible. Any threat against diplomats is unacceptable," the EU leader assured in a press conference.

Official sources from the Spanish Foreign Ministry confirm that there was a Spanish diplomat among the group attacked by Israeli forces who "is doing well," and that they are "in contact" with the other affected countries to "jointly coordinate a response to the events." "We condemn it categorically," they add.

For the time being, Spain, Italy, and Portugal have recalled their Israeli ambassadors for consultations to obtain explanations about the events. "In light of the intolerable shooting by the Israeli army during a visit by Spanish, EU and other diplomats, we are summoning the head of the Israeli embassy in Madrid. We demand clarity and accountability," Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares wrote to X.

The Israeli army has stated that military officials in the West Bank are already investigating what happened and have ordered their officers to contact representatives of the affected countries.