Israeli leaders approved a plan early Friday for a gradual military occupation of all of Gaza, a crucial and risky choice that contradicts the Israeli military's advice and aims to enter uncharted territory in the nearly two-year conflict.
After lengthy deliberations lasting 10 hours, most members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet supported his proposal to prepare for the conquest of central Gaza City, as indicated in a statement released just before dawn from his office.
In a later phase, the military is anticipated to advance into central regions of the enclave, where Hamas is thought to be holding Israeli captives and where military operations have mostly been avoided.
The objective, according to the statement, is to achieve a significant victory over Hamas. The plan includes provisions for humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside of combat zones, it stated.
The military is expected to require at least several days to call up reserve forces, organize troop deployments for a push into Gaza City, and allow for the forced evacuation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the new combat zones.
The cabinet also established five principles for concluding the conflict, including disarming Hamas; securing the return of all 50 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive; demilitarizing Gaza; ensuring Israeli security oversight over the enclave; and setting up an alternative civilian administration that does not involve either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, the rival Western-supported group that holds limited power in portions of the occupied West Bank.
According to the Israeli military, they have already taken control of approximately 75 percent of Gaza. The coastal area extending from Gaza City in the north down to Khan Younis in the south remains the primary territory outside of Israeli control. A significant number of the two million Palestinians in Gaza, including those who have been displaced, have crammed into tents, temporary shelters, and residences in these regions.
Mr. Netanyahu stated on Thursday that Israel intends to seize all of Gaza, disregarding the counsel of the Israeli military, and cautioned that broadening operations could jeopardize the hostages within and increase the civilian death toll among Palestinians.
He made these remarks during an interview with Fox News before the security cabinet meeting. His comments coincided with stalled negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, with Israeli and Hamas officials attributing the impasse to one another.
When asked if Israel would take full control of Gaza, he affirmed, “We intend to.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that the decision would "ensure our security," oust Hamas from power, and pave the way for another group to manage Gaza's civilian affairs.
"We aim to free ourselves and the residents of Gaza from the horrific terror posed by Hamas," he mentioned in a segment from the interview, while not elaborating on any future operations.
However, the prime minister indicated that Israel does not seek to have permanent authority over the entire territory. "We do not wish to retain it," he remarked. "We do not want to govern it. We do not want to be present there as a governing entity. Our goal is to transfer control to Arab forces."
In the excerpt shared by Fox News, Mr. Netanyahu provided limited specifics regarding his strategy. Some analysts have noted that he has threatened to escalate the offensive in order to push Hamas towards making concessions in the cease-fire discussions.
In a statement released on Thursday, Hamas responded that Mr. Netanyahu's remarks "demonstrate a clear shift in the negotiation dynamics and unveil the true intentions behind his withdrawal from the final round."
Israel's broadening military actions would also contradict the requests from various nations that are calling for an end to the almost two-year conflict in Gaza. In recent weeks, Israel has faced increasing pressure from some of its long-term allies to take more decisive steps to alleviate the hunger crisis in the region.
The chief of staff of the Israeli military, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has opposed the plan, according to four Israeli security officials who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He expressed concerns about the exhaustion and readiness of reservists, as well as the implications of the military having to govern millions of Palestinians, the officials noted.
The military leadership favors a new cease-fire rather than escalating the conflict, according to three of the officials. A majority of ministers believed that the alternative measures proposed by the military would fail to vanquish Hamas or secure the release of hostages, based on the statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office.
The Israeli military and Mr. Netanyahu disagreed on strategy in the early phases of the conflict. However, the most recent confrontation seems to be the biggest since General Zamir was nominated by the government in February.
Members of the ruling coalition at the time anticipated he would follow their strategy more strictly than his predecessor. However, some government supporters have denounced him in recent days.
General Zamir stated Thursday that "the culture of debate" was "a vital component of the I.D.F.'s overall culture — both internally and externally," referring to the Israel Defense Forces. The Israeli military made public his remarks.
"We will not be afraid to continue expressing our position," he continued. Additionally, we hold our commanders to that standard. This particular table is where the accountability is.
According to three security officials, the military thinks it could take control of the remaining areas of Gaza in a matter of months, but it would take up to five years of continuous fighting to establish a system akin to the one it manages in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military will implement any decision made by the security cabinet, according to a statement released by Mr. Netanyahu's office on Tuesday.
The relatives of the hostages taken by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, as well as members of Israel's opposition, have warned against the military operation's expansion.
The head of the parliamentary opposition, Yair Lapid, told reporters Wednesday during a meeting with Mr. Netanyahu that "conquering Gaza is a bad operational idea, a bad moral idea, and a bad economic idea."
Families of hostages fear that if Israeli control is extended, Hamas may execute them or the IDF may unintentionally kill their loved ones.
According to a New York Times investigation, during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught on Israel, some 250 people were taken hostage, and over three dozen hostages were slain while in captivity. Up to 20 hostages are thought to still be alive in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. They claim that the land is also housing the bodies of thirty other people.
Elhanan Danino, whose son Ori was slain by his captors a year ago while Israeli soldiers were operating near a tunnel in southern Gaza where he was being kept, said, "Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization, and they will kill hostages if the military comes near them."Mr. Danino continued, "Every moment they are being held there — being starved — puts their lives at risk." "I don't want our son's death to be witnessed by other hostages."
The potential for Israel to intensify its operation has increased Palestinian citizens' fears that many more people may be murdered and that their already terrible living conditions in Gaza may worsen.
The 34-year-old Mukhlis al-Masri, who was displaced from his house in northern Gaza and is currently in Khan Younis, stated, "They're talking about occupying areas that are packed with so many people." "They will murder incalculably if they do that. Nobody can predict how dangerous the situation will be.
According to Mr. al-Masri, a school that was converted into a refuge in Khan Younis was bombed on Sunday, killing his brother, brother-in-law, four nephews, and nieces while badly wounding his sister. He explained that in order to be close to his sister, who is in the city's intensive care unit, he was lodging in a tent close to Al-Nasr Hospital.
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for additional details regarding the bombing. The military has emphasized that Hamas has established itself in civilian areas and stated that the attacks in Gaza are directed at militants and their munitions infrastructure.
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