CAIRO, August 21. /TASS/. The Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas has called on intermediaries to put maximal pressure on the Israeli leadership amid the launch of a military operation on capturing the administrative center of the Gaza Strip.

"We are urging the mediators to put the utmost pressure on Israel to force it to stop its war of annihilation of the people of Palestine," the movement said in a statement on its Telegram channel. Hamas emphasized that the Israeli leadership’s decision "dismisses all efforts applied by the intermediaries" within the framework of talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The group added that it holds responsible both Israel and the US for the consequences of the occupation of Gaza City.

On August 8, Israel approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take control of the entire territory of Gaza City and expand operations in the Palestinian enclave. On August 20, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz approved a plan to capture the city. According to the Kan State Television and Radio Company, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has already begun fighting in the suburbs of Gaza, preparing for the expansion. According to its information, the plans for the operation to capture the city will be submitted to the Israeli cabinet for approval on August 21.