Israel's security cabinet endorsed a new proposal for its forces to "take over" Gaza City on Friday, triggering immediate criticism within the country and around the world.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under growing pressure to achieve a ceasefire almost two years into the Gaza war as pressure grows to prevent famine for over two million inhabitants and to win freedom for hostages held by Palestinian militants.
Hamas, whose October 7, 2023, attack started the war, criticized the move to expand operations as a "new war crime."
In a rare criticism from a major ally, Germany said it would suspend military exports to Israel due to fears the weapons would be used in Gaza — a move Netanyahu denounced as rewarding Hamas.
The new strategy to "defeat" Hamas now encompasses the Israeli military preparing "to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones," reports the prime minister's office.
Netanyahu tweeted on X, "we are not going to occupy Gaza — we are going to free Gaza from Hamas." Netanyahu further stated that demilitarising the area and setting up "a peaceful civilian administration would help free our hostages" and avert future dangers.
Israel, which held Gaza from 1967 to the withdrawal of troops and settlers in 2005, set out "five principles" in the cabinet's plan, such as demilitarisation and "the establishment of an alternative civil administration which is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
The declaration elicited alarm from China, Turkey, Britain, and several Arab regimes. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres labelled it a "dangerous escalation" that might "increase the already disastrous consequences for millions of Palestinians." Diplomatic sources informed AFP that the UN Security Council would meet on Sunday to discuss the plan.
Domestic backlash and mixed reactions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in an announcement of the suspension of weapons deliveries, stated it was "more and more hard to comprehend" how the plan would advance Israel's legitimate interests.
In Israel, reactions were mixed. Defence Minister Israel Katz acknowledged that the military had started preparing for the plan's execution, but the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, families of the kidnapped, blamed the cabinet for "abandoning" the hostages.
The cabinet decided last night to undertake another journey of folly, on the shoulders of the hostages, the troops, and Israeli society as a whole," the organization stated.
Of the 251 hostages who were captured during the 2023 Hamas attack, 49 are still being held, and among them are 27 whose deaths were confirmed by the Israeli military. Local media reports caution that a wider offensive would threaten hostages further, since troops advance into more crowded residential areas.
Others spoke in favor of the plan. "When they take over Gaza, they'll get rid of Hamas altogether — perhaps not altogether, but at least a decent percentage of them," said Chaim Klein, a 26-year-old yeshiva student. The Israeli military has reported that it now controls approximately 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.
Fears within Gaza
Gaza City residents showed fear of potential renewed displacement and shelling. "They tell us to head south, then return north, and now they desire to send us south again. We are human beings, but nobody hears us or notices us," stated 52-year-old mother of six Maysa al-Shanti.
Hamas threatened that "plans to occupy Gaza City and evacuate its residents constitutes a new war crime" and promised the operation would "cost it dearly," stating any escalation would put hostages at risk.
Global agencies continue to predict grim humanitarian circumstances. A UN-supported report has discovered famine breaking out in some areas of Gaza, and the World Health Organization has documented at least 99 fatalities from malnutrition this year — an estimated undercount.
Gaza's civil defense agency reported that an 19-year-old was left critically wounded after an aid airdrop over Gaza City. Spokesman Mahmud Bassal said heavy packages have killed and injured, and overcrowding at drop zones has resulted in stampedes. He also said Israeli shelling killed at least 16 people Friday in Gaza.
Although Israel has relaxed some of the restrictions on aid flows, the UN states the volume entering the territory is still not adequate.
The Hamas-backed Gaza health ministry reports that over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's campaign. The October 7, 2023 assault on Israel killed 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally of official deaths.
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