ISTANBUL

The Palestinian group Hamas said Wednesday that a planned Israeli offensive to take over Gaza City will fail just like previous attempts.

“The operation will fail just as its predecessors did. Israel will not achieve its objectives, and the occupation of Gaza will not be a picnic," it said.

The statement came after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz approved a plan on Wednesday to launch the offensive, dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariots 2, aimed at occupying Gaza City.

Hamas said the plan represents a continuation of the genocide that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip for more than 22 months and disregard for the efforts of mediators working on a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal.

In its statement, Hamas stressed that while it has accepted a ceasefire proposal presented by mediators, the Israeli government insists on continuing its brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza with the aim of destroying the city and displacing its people to the south.

It added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s disregard for and failure to respond to the mediators’ proposal shows that “he is the one undermining agreements, does not care about the lives of the captives, and is not serious about bringing them back.”

It also called on the mediators to exert maximum pressure on Israel to stop the genocide against the Palestinian people.

On Aug. 8, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to occupy Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave.

Prior to the Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said in an interview that Israel aims to fully occupy the Gaza Strip.

Katz also approved the plan to occupy Gaza City on Wednesday.

According to the plan, around 1 million Palestinians will first be displaced to the south, while the city will be besieged and then occupied following heavy attacks.

On Aug. 18, Hamas announced that it had accepted a ceasefire and prisoner swap proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel has yet to respond to the offer.