Israel’s security cabinet has sanctioned a plan to seize control of Gaza City, marking a contentious escalation in its conflict with Gaza. Home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, Gaza City was the largest city in the enclave before the conflict. The decision faces staunch opposition within Israel, including from military officials and families of hostages, as well as from the international community.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned on Fox News that Israel intended to occupy the entire Gaza Strip and eventually transfer it to Arab forces. Although specifics remain unclear, here’s what is known about the new strategy.
**Details of the Plan:**
The plan, also referred to as the “five principles for ending the war,” includes:
– Disarming Hamas
– Returning all hostages, alive or deceased
– Demilitarizing the Gaza Strip
– Establishing Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip
– Forming an alternative civilian administration, excluding both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority
The IDF stated they would prepare to take control of Gaza City while offering humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones. It remains uncertain if this involves new aid and whether it will be facilitated by the contested Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation or another entity.
**Focusing on Gaza City:**
Before the cabinet’s meeting, Netanyahu expressed a desire for Israel to manage all of Gaza. However, the new plan specifies only Gaza City, which Israel claims to control 75% of while the UN suggests about 86% is under military zones or evacuation orders. Israeli forces aim to capture the enclave’s largest city for the first time in this conflict.
Control over Gaza City, with a population of a million and surrounded by IDF-controlled areas, is likely a preliminary phase of a broader takeover of the Gaza Strip, according to Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega. There is speculation that full occupation threats could pressure Hamas into concessions amid stalled discussions. Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel does not intend to retain control but wants to transfer it to “Arab forces.” “We seek a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it,” he conveyed.
**Timeline for Gaza City Takeover:**
Israel has not specified when the takeover would begin, though Israeli media reports indicate military actions in Gaza City might not commence immediately, with evacuations needed first. Israel believes the alternative plan presented to its cabinet won’t achieve Hamas’s defeat or the hostages’ return. Details of this alternative plan or its proponent remain undisclosed, with Israeli media attributing it to a more restrained proposal from the army’s chief of staff.
According to BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, Netanyahu remains deliberately vague about the Arab forces mentioned, potentially referring to Jordanian and Egyptian partnerships willing to cooperate with Israel, albeit not within Gaza following an Israeli occupation. Further details on Gaza’s post-takeover government are lacking, and Hamas has not yet responded to the plan.
**Reactions:**
Netanyahu is under increasing pressure from hostage families and global leaders. Israel’s military leadership suggests their Gaza mission is complete, deeming Hamas no longer a military threat. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticizes Israel’s escalation as “wrong” and escalating bloodshed. Palestinian National Initiative President Mustafa Barghouti calls Israel’s military expansion a “declaration of a war crime.” Turkey’s foreign ministry accuses Israel of forcibly displacing Palestinians, and Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen advocates for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and Israeli hostages’ release.
Australia also urges caution, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong warning a Gaza City takeover could worsen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. UN human rights chief Volker Türk insists the Gaza war must end urgently, cautioning any further escalation will lead to “massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction, and atrocity crimes.” The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters warns the decision could lead to disaster for hostages and soldiers.
Some reports suggest American approval for Gaza City’s takeover, though NBC News details a heated July phone call between US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu, a discussion Trump labeled as “fake news.”
Additional reporting by Ruth Comerford.