Post by : Jyoti Gupta

Photo:AFP

In a move that signals one of the most significant escalations in the nearly year-long war on Gaza, Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the full military occupation of Gaza City — the largest urban center in the northern part of the Palestinian territory.

The decision, announced early Friday, outlines that the Israeli military will move into Gaza City to take full control while setting up systems to provide humanitarian aid to civilians who are outside the active combat zones. The plan will still require final approval from the full government cabinet, which is not expected to meet before Sunday.

Operation Details and Timeline

According to senior officials familiar with the plan, Israeli forces will begin moving civilians out of Gaza City over the coming weeks, with the target date for completing the evacuation set for October 7. The operation will reportedly involve the forced relocation of all remaining Palestinian residents in Gaza City to central refugee camps and other designated areas in the territory.

Once civilians are moved, the military intends to impose a complete siege on any Hamas fighters still in the city. This would cut off all supply lines and escape routes for the militants, while the army launches a large-scale ground offensive aimed at seizing the remaining areas under resistance control.

Netanyahu’s Position on Gaza Governance

Speaking earlier this week, Netanyahu made it clear that his broader goal is to take control of the entire Gaza Strip. However, he stressed that Israel does not want to directly govern Gaza after the military campaign is complete. Instead, he proposed that a yet-to-be-named third party would manage the territory’s civil administration.

“We do not want to keep Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “Our aim is to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it, but we will act to ensure it is not used as a base for attacks.”

Impact on Civilians

Before the war began in October 2023, Gaza City was home to hundreds of thousands of people and served as the economic, cultural, and political hub of the territory. However, months of heavy bombing, ground fighting, and siege have left the city in ruins.

In the opening weeks of the war, Israeli forces issued mass evacuation orders, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee. Many sought shelter in overcrowded camps in central Gaza or moved south toward Rafah. Some returned during a short ceasefire earlier this year, hoping the fighting would ease, but now face the possibility of being displaced again.

Today, it is unclear how many people remain in Gaza City. Aid workers believe that tens of thousands — many of them elderly, injured, or sick — have stayed behind because they have nowhere else to go. The United Nations has already warned that the territory is experiencing famine-like conditions. Nearly 200 people have died from starvation and malnutrition, with shortages of food, clean water, and medicine worsening every day.

Humanitarian organizations say a new mass displacement could make the situation even more desperate, especially since most aid routes into Gaza have been blocked for months. A large-scale military operation would also make it far harder for relief convoys to reach those most in need.

Wider War Context

The war began in early October 2023 after a deadly attack on Israel by Hamas-led fighters, which killed over a thousand people. Israel responded with a massive air and ground campaign across the Gaza Strip. Since then, the conflict has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, and injured tens of thousands more. Large parts of Gaza’s infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and residential neighborhoods, have been destroyed.

Israel’s military strategy has focused on dismantling Hamas’ presence in every part of the territory, but Gaza City has remained a symbolic and strategic stronghold for Palestinian fighters. Capturing it fully would be seen as a major milestone in Israel’s military objectives.

International Reactions

The plan to occupy Gaza City has been anticipated for several days. International political figures have signaled different responses — some urging restraint, others making clear they will not interfere with Israel’s military plans.

Some analysts warn that this operation, while militarily significant, could trigger an even deeper humanitarian crisis. They point out that forcibly removing civilians under siege conditions may violate international humanitarian laws and could strain Israel’s relations with its allies.

Voices from the Ground

For people still in Gaza City, the news of the planned occupation brings little hope. “There is nothing left to occupy,” said one resident. “There is no Gaza left.”

This sentiment reflects the scale of destruction the city has endured. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, public services have collapsed, and most residents have lost their homes, businesses, and loved ones.

What Happens Next

If the full government cabinet approves the plan on Sunday, military operations could begin shortly afterward. The next two months may see an intensification of fighting in northern Gaza, with large numbers of civilians once again forced to flee.

Humanitarian agencies are warning that unless aid is allowed to flow freely into Gaza, the consequences of this operation could be catastrophic — not only for those inside Gaza City but for the entire territory, where resources are already stretched to the breaking point.

As Israel prepares to take one of its most decisive steps in this war, the fate of tens of thousands of people still trapped in Gaza City hangs in the balance.