Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ‘take control’ of the whole of Gaza as his military launches a newly intensified campaign in the besieged territory.

Earlier this month his cabinet approved plans for the expanded offensive currently under way and said it was aimed at the ‘conquest’ of Gaza and the displacement of its people.

Israel restarted its incursion into Gaza in March as well as blocking all aid following the breakdown of a fragile ceasefire brokered in January. 

It has now said it would let limited supplies into the territory as the World Health Organisation (WHO) head warned that ‘two million people are starving’ after 18 months of conflict. 

In a video posted on Telegram, Netanyahu said: ‘The fighting is intense and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip.

‘We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped.’

‘We must not let the population (of Gaza) sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,’ he added, adding that even friends of Israel would not tolerate ‘images of mass starvation’. 

But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has already warned that the risk of famine in Gaza is increasing due to the ‘deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid.’

‘Tonnes of food is blocked at the border, just minutes away,’ he said. 

‘People are dying from preventable diseases as medicines wait at the border, while attacks on hospitals deny people care, and deter them from seeking it.’ 

Israel has already approved plans for the expanded offensive currently under way and said it was aimed at the ‘conquest’ of Gaza and the displacement of its people

The World Health Organisation (WHO) head warned that ‘two million people are starving’ after 18 months of conflict

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has already warned that the risk of famine in Gaza is increasing due to the ‘deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid’

The WHO have said 57 children in Gaza have died from malnutrition since March 2, when the aid blockade began. 

Last week US President Donald Trump acknowledged that ‘a lot of people are starving’, adding ‘we’re going to get that taken care of’.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued against any resumption of aid, saying on X: ‘Mr Prime Minister, our hostages receive no humanitarian aid.’

But Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also of the far right, defended the decision to allow a ‘bare minimum’ of aid in, stressing none would be allowed to reach Hamas.

‘This will allow civilians to eat and our friends in the world to keep giving us diplomatic protection,’ he said.

UK Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ellie Chowns told MailOnline: ‘After months of blocking food and medical supplies into Gaza, one in five people there are facing starvation. 

‘The Israeli government saying it will allow a ‘basic amount’ of food, just enough to prevent starvation and enable the expansion of its military operation, is chilling. They are using food as a weapon of war. This is a war crime.

The UK government must push for unrestricted and unconditional food and medical supplies into Gaza urgently. There must also be an immediate ceasefire, not a further escalation of famine and genocide by ‘taking control of all of Gaza’.’

The Gazan Health Ministry said 46 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes today alone, including children sheltering in a school.

Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Gazans since Thursday, marking one of the deadliest periods in the war since ceasefire talks broke down in March.

Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, said: ‘This latest barrage of bombs … and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.’ 

Israel said the bombardments were the initial phases of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, an expansion of the campaign in Gaza meant to ‘achieve all of the war goals in Gaza’.

The strikes were accompanied by a large troop buildup along Gaza’s borders, aimed at establishing ‘operational control’ of parts of Gaza. 

Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Gazans since Thursday, marking one of the deadliest periods in the war since ceasefire talks broke down in March

Smoke rises after an Israeli attack on Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City

Israel said the bombardments were the initial phases of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, an expansion of the campaign in Gaza meant to ‘achieve all of the war goals in Gaza’

More than 53,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive since October 2023, following the Hamas attack on Israel in which they killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage.

Earlier today UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘It’s a really serious, unacceptable, intolerable situation, and that’s why we are working intensely to coordinate with other leaders on how we respond to this.’ 

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen added: ‘For two months now, no humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza. 

‘Aid must reach civilians in need immediately, and the blockade must be lifted now. Humanitarian aid must never be politicised.’