Israel’s security cabinet has approved a controversial five-step plan to seize full control of Gaza City, marking a dramatic escalation in the nearly two-year conflict that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims will finally end Hamas’s grip on the war-torn enclave.
The decision, announced early Friday morning after a marathon 10-hour cabinet meeting, comes despite fierce opposition from Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who condemned the move as “wrong” and warned it would only bring “more bloodshed.” The plan envisions Israeli military control over Gaza’s remaining territory before transferring authority to unnamed Arab forces.
“The [Israel Defense Forces] will prepare for the takeover of Gaza City while ensuring the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Netanyahu’s office announced in a statement, confirming the cabinet had approved the prime minister’s proposal by what officials described as a “decisive majority.
Bold Five-Pillar Strategy
The Israeli cabinet’s roadmap centres on five non-negotiable principles that Netanyahu insists are essential for lasting security. A majority of the cabinet also voted to back five ‘principles’ for ending the war: disarming Hamas, the return of all hostages — dead and alive, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli ‘security control’ of the Gaza Strip and a new government in Gaza that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
Speaking to Fox News hours before the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu outlined Israel’s intentions. We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel.”
The prime minister stressed that whilst Israel seeks military control, it has no desire for long-term governance. “We don’t want to keep Gaza long term. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body.”
Military Opposition and Hostage Concerns
The plan faced significant internal resistance, particularly from Israel’s military leadership. Eyal Zamir and his commanders were expected to have also laid out plans that included striking and besieging — but not entering — Gaza City, as well as the central area’s refugee camps, to pressure Hamas.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief of staff, warned the cabinet that “a full takeover of Gaza would trap the military within the enclave and put the remaining hostages at risk.” His concerns reflect broader military apprehensions about the strain on exhausted reservists who have deployed multiple times over 22 months.
“Fifty hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive, according to the latest Israeli government data.” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned the escalation, stating: “By choosing military escalation over negotiation, we are leaving our loved ones at the mercy of Hamas — an evil terrorist organization that systematically starves and abuses the hostages.”
Phased Implementation Plan
According to Israeli officials familiar with the proposal, the operation would unfold over approximately five months. The phased plan under consideration would: Force approximately a million Palestinians in Gaza City and other areas into evacuation areas in southern Gaza. Establish compounds to house the massive influx of displaced Palestinians.
The plan includes expanding humanitarian aid distribution sites from four to sixteen, operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Israeli officials indicated the operation could commence by October 7, 2025 – deliberately chosen for its symbolic significance as the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack that triggered the war.
International Condemnation Mounts
Britain led international criticism of the Israeli decision, with Prime Minister Starmer issuing a strongly-worded statement. The Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.”
Starmer emphasised the deteriorating humanitarian situation, stating: “Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution.”
The UK Prime Minister also stressed that “Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm,” whilst warning that “without both sides engaging in good faith in negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our eyes.
UN Warning on International Law
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the plan as a violation of international law. “Israel’s plan for a complete military takeover of Gaza violates an International Court of Justice ruling that Israel must end its occupation ‘as soon as possible,'” he stated.
Türk warned: “This further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes.”
Arab States Remain Sceptical
Netanyahu’s vision of transferring control to “Arab forces that will govern it properly” has received a lukewarm response from regional powers. A Jordanian official told Reuters that “Amman ‘will only support what Palestinians agree and decide on.’ ‘Security in Gaza must be done through legitimate Palestinian institutions,’ the source said. ‘Arabs will not be agreeing to Netanyahu’s policies nor clean his mess.'”
Hamas immediately denounced the plan, calling it “a ‘blatant coup’ against negotiations” and accusing Netanyahu of planning to “sacrifice” Israeli hostages to continue the war.
US Position: Hands-Off Approach
The United States has adopted a notably passive stance, with Ambassador Mike Huckabee telling CBS News it would be Israel’s decision alone. “It’s not our job to tell them what they should or should not do. Certainly, if they ask for wisdom, counsel, advice, I’m sure the president would offer it. But ultimately, it’s the decision that the Israelis and only the Israelis can make.”
This approach marks a significant departure from previous US administrations’ more active involvement in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The Israeli military currently controls approximately 75 per cent of Gaza, according to official estimates, whilst the UN puts the figure at 87 per cent. Hundreds of thousands of people fled Gaza City under forced evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military in the opening weeks of the war, but many returned during a brief ceasefire at the start of this year.
The proposed operation threatens to displace hundreds of thousands more Palestinians already facing what aid organisations describe as catastrophic conditions, with widespread starvation and disease.
Domestic Opposition Grows
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned the plan would lead to disaster. This is exactly what Hamas wanted: for Israel to become bogged down on the ground without a goal, without defining the day-after scenario, in a pointless occupation which no one understands where it leads,” he stated.
Lapid added that the operation would “lead to the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers, cost Israeli taxpayers tens of billions, and result in diplomatic collapse.
Despite the mounting criticism both domestically and internationally, Netanyahu appears determined to proceed with what he calls the only path to real security for Israel. As the region braces for this dramatic escalation, the prospects for peace appear more distant than ever.
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