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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jason Burke in Tel Aviv and Julian Borger

Gaza will be entirely destroyed, Israeli minister says

Crowds of desperate-looking people hold out large empty pans to receive food
Palestinians wait for food from aid groups in Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza. Humanitarian officials say the territory is on the brink of catastrophe as food and fuel runs out. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty

An Israeli government minister has vowed that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed” as a result of an Israeli military victory, and that its Palestinian population will “leave in great numbers to third countries”, raising fears of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territory.

The declaration on Tuesday by the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, came a day after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan for Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which an Israeli official said would entail “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories”.

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