The Israeli army launches a major offensive against Gaza to "achieve all the objectives of the war."

BarcelonaAfter days of intense bombing of Gaza, in which nearly 300 people have died since midnight on Wednesday, the Israeli army has announced the launch of a major new offensive in Gaza to "take control of strategic areas in the Strip" and to "achieve all the objectives of the war": freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas. In a statement issued Friday night, the Israel Defense Forces said it had "launched extensive attacks" at several points in the enclave and had "mobilized forces" on the ground as the initial stage of what it has called Operation Gideon's Chariots to expand its control over Gaza.

The large-scale offensive comes in addition to in the humanitarian blockade that Israel has imposed on Gaza since March 2According to the UN, trucks carrying 116,000 tons of food aid, enough to feed one million people for four months, are stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a "permanent ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip, hours after Israel's announcement. "We need a permanent ceasefire now," he said during his speech at an Arab League summit in Baghdad. "I am alarmed by reports of Israel's plans to expand its ground operations," he said, calling for the "free entry of humanitarian aid to end the blockade" on the Gaza Strip. "Obviously, we reject any forced displacement outside of Gaza," he insisted.

Tel Aviv's announcement coincides with the end of Donald Trump's trip to the regionThe US president has visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, seeking business investment, but has sidelined his usual partner, Israel. In fact, Trump, who follows a rhetorical line very close to Tel Aviv, acknowledged on Friday that people in Gaza are starving and stated that the United States would "take care of the situation there." "We're looking at Gaza. And we'll take care of it. Many people are starving," he told reporters from Abu Dhabi.

"Ethnic cleansing"

The US leader's words do not alleviate the bleak outlook for Gaza residents. In the last 24 hours alone, the Gaza Civil Defense has counted more than 157 deaths from Israeli attacks. The majority have been concentrated in residential areas in the north of the Strip, including the Jabalia refugee camp and the town of Beit Lahia. Furthermore, Efe reports that at least four Israeli tanks surrounded and stormed a Beit Lahia school converted into a shelter housing dozens of displaced families.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls the escalation of Israeli attacks in Gaza and the blockade of aid "tantamount to ethnic cleansing" and calls for global action. Volker Türk said in a statement released Friday that "this latest avalanche of bombings and the denial of humanitarian assistance" underscore the "pressure for permanent demographic change in Gaza that defies international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing." Türk also warned that this week's escalation raises fears of the start of an even broader Israeli offensive—as confirmed this morning—and urged all parties to halt the offensive: "We must stop the clock on this madness."

Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "continuing to commit genocide": "The escalating massacre being used against civilians embodies the insistence of the terrorist Netanyahu government on continuing to commit genocide in Gaza, without regard for international law," reads a statement released by Hamas on its Telegram channel.