Israel’s plan to take over parts of Gaza has faced backlash from senior Israeli military officials and the families of hostages, while the UN has warned it will create “unbearable suffering” for Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday that the country’s security cabinet approved proposals for a “takeover of Gaza City“, located in the north of the war-torn enclave.
The plan’s five objectives are to disarm Hamas, demilitarise Gaza, return all Israeli hostages, take security control of the territory and set up “an alternative civil administration” that is not run by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operation in Gaza City, which houses about 800,000 Palestinians, marks the first phase of a plan where the ultimate goal is believed to be the full occupation of Gaza – a move promoted by Netanyahu.
As of Wednesday, 86.3 per cent of the Gaza Strip was either under militarised zones or subject to displacement orders, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In the first phase of Israel’s plan, an evacuation notice would be issued residents of Gaza City, urging them to move further south, where civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and refugee camps will be set up over several weeks, according to the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.
In the second phase of its plan, Israel is expected to launch a military operation to fully occupy Gaza City by 7 October, 2025 – the second anniversary of Hamas’s cross-border attack, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.
Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Beyond occupying Gaza City, the second phase of Israel’s plan will also include a military takeover of areas in the central Gaza Strip, where refugee camps house approximately one million Palestinians and Israeli hostages are believed to be held, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported.
Israel has vowed to expand its operations to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s population as part of the takeover, following reports of an imminent famine spreading across the enclave.
How the plan risks escalating Gaza crisis
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also told Bloomberg News on Wednesday that efforts to boost aid provision over the next two months will include the creation of 12 further distribution centres run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Nearly 1400 people have been killed while trying to find food in recent weeks, according to the UN, which said almost 900 of the deaths were linked to the GHF sites, with Israeli soldiers accused of firing on people waiting for aid.
Huckabee indicated that the creation of the new sites would be coordinated with IDF military advancements, saying: “I think there’s still some question about areas of the north that may depend on whether the IDF can clear those areas and make it safe.”
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UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned that a take over by the Israeli military “will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes”.
Among other critics of the plans was Israeli armed forces Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, who warned the full occupation Gaza was “tantamount to walking into a trap” and would endanger the living hostages, according to Israeli media.
The Hostages Family Forum, which represents those held captive in Gaza and their families, also condemned the plans, accusing the Israeli government of “leading us toward a colossal catastrophe for both the hostages and our soldiers”.
Hamas threatens hostage ‘sacrifice’
Hamas released a statement saying Israel’s takeover of Gaza will lead to the “sacrifice” of the hostages, accusing the Israeli government of disregarding the “fate of their captives”.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also reportedly opposed the plans, but not over the danger it posed to hostages – rather, he was cited as telling the security cabinet that if Israel does not go “for a full occupation and do it just for a deal, then it’s not worth it”.
In 2005, the Israeli government officially withdrew from the Gaza Strip, after occupying the enclave continuously since 1967. This involved pulling out its armed forces and dismantling 21 illegal settlements housing about 8,000 people.
Smotrich and Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were sanctioned by the UK government in June. Both are members of Israel’s security cabinet, also known as the Ministerial Committee on National Security Affairs.
Beyond Netanyahu, other members include Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Justice Yariv Levin and Minister of Defense Israel Katz.
Netanyahu can appoint additional ministers to the body, provided the overall number of members does not exceed half of the number of ministers in the full cabinet.
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