Israel is set to mobilise more than 400,000 troops as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes ahead with plans to establish full military occupation of the Gaza Strip, despite mounting international condemnation and warnings of catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
The Israeli government has granted Defence Minister Israel Katz permission to call up 430,000 military reservists until 30 November, as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) prepares to seize control of Gaza City and central refugee camps – the last remaining areas of the enclave not under Israeli military control.
Netanyahu defended the escalation on Sunday, telling journalists: “This is the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily. Our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza.”
The controversial plan would see Israel expand its control from the current 70 per cent of Gaza to complete military occupation, forcing more than half a million Palestinians from their homes in what UN officials warn could trigger “another calamity” in the besieged territory.
International Outcry Grows
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer led international criticism on Friday, declaring Israel’s decision “wrong” and warning it would “only bring more bloodshed” in a conflict that Gaza’s health ministry says has already killed more than 61,430 Palestinians.
This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages,” Starmer said. “It will only bring more bloodshed. Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions.
The Prime Minister called for an immediate ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages, adding: “Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.
Britain announced last week it would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end the crisis and commits to a lasting peace process. The State of Palestine is already recognised by 147 of the 193 UN member states, with France, Canada and Australia recently indicating they would join them.
Scale of Military Mobilisation
Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said on Sunday that the country has “no alternative” but to continue mobilising reservists. The decision to call up 430,000 troops represents one of the largest military mobilisations in Israel’s history, according to defence officials.
The operation is expected to tell civilians in Gaza City to evacuate by 7 October before the IDF launches its full occupation. UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca warned the Security Council that the plan could displace all civilians from Gaza City by that date, affecting some 800,000 people, many already displaced multiple times.
Israeli security officials estimate the occupation could continue for at least six months, though Netanyahu said the operation would be implemented on “a fairly short timetable.
The Prime Minister outlined plans to “dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps,” while establishing secure corridors and safe zones for civilian evacuation. He said Israel currently controls “about 70 to 75 per cent of Gaza under Israeli control, military control.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The expansion comes as Gaza faces what aid organisations describe as “starvation” and “calamity.” More than 217 Palestinians have died from malnutrition and hunger since October 2023, including 100 children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
To support humanitarian efforts, Israel claims it plans to increase aid deliveries from 300 to 1,200 trucks daily and establish more distribution centres in non-combat zones. However, critics argue these measures are insufficient given the scale of the crisis.
The death toll from Israel’s 22-month war has reached at least 61,430 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, figures the United Nations considers reliable. A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet in January estimated that official figures may undercount trauma-related deaths by 41 per cent.
Military and Diplomatic Opposition
The plan faces significant opposition within Israel’s own military leadership. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir reportedly warned that Israel could “lose” the remaining hostages if it pushes ahead with full occupation. More than 600 former Israeli senior security officials signed an open letter calling on the US to help bring the war to a close, stating that “Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel.”
Several senior Israeli military officers are understood to oppose further escalation, with the IDF proposing an alternative that would involve striking and besieging – but not permanently holding – Gaza City.
Despite this internal dissent, Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved the plan early Friday, with the Prime Minister emphasising it “differs from previous ones by shifting from raid-based operations to the occupation of territory and sustaining it.
Five Guiding Principles
Israel’s cabinet has signed off on five guiding principles to conclude the war:
- Complete dismantlement of Hamas, not just weakening
- Return of all hostages, both living and dead
- Israeli security control over Gaza
- Demilitarisation of the territory
- Establishment of a non-Israeli civilian administration
The war began after Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on 7 October 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Currently, 49 hostages remain in Gaza, including 27 the IDF says are dead.
Journalists Targeted Amid Escalation
The escalation coincides with the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in an Israeli airstrike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital on Sunday. The network condemned the attack as a “targeted assassination” and “desperate attempt to silence voices” documenting events in Gaza.
Those killed included prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif, 28, who had reported extensively from northern Gaza throughout the war. The IDF claimed al-Sharif was “serving as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas” and “responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”
Also killed were correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Noufal. The Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel has “a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof.
Human rights groups say at least 186 journalists have been killed since October 2023, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers in modern times.
Growing International Pressure
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is “gravely alarmed” by Israel’s decision, while eight European foreign ministers – from Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal and Slovenia – warned the plan would be “a major obstacle to implementing the two-state solution.
Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s announcement, saying it “represents a blatant reversal of the negotiation process” and accused Israel of withdrawing from ceasefire talks “despite our nearing a final agreement.
As Israel prepares for its most ambitious military operation yet in Gaza, the international community watches with growing alarm. With hundreds of thousands of troops mobilising and warnings of humanitarian catastrophe mounting, the coming weeks could prove decisive for the future of both Gaza and the broader Middle East peace process.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Benjamin Netanyahu, January 24, 2024 – by UK Government, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
