The Israeli military has announced that it has launched operations under its plan to capture and gain control over Gaza City. According to the army, it has taken control of the suburbs of Gaza City, where nearly one million Palestinians live. The military spokesperson said that troops had already been deployed in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas in preparation for the takeover. Meanwhile, officials in Gaza City reported that after the start of Israel’s ground offensive, Palestinians have begun fleeing the city. It should be noted that this military operation was approved on Tuesday by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and will be presented to the security cabinet later this week. According to Reuters, Hamas has accused Israel of continuing this brutal war against innocent civilians and deliberately obstructing a ceasefire. Gaza City, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, is home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Before the war, it was the most populated area of the territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel plans to seize the entire Gaza Strip and later hand it over to Arab powers. Many world leaders have condemned this plan, while the United Nations has warned that it will lead to “large-scale forced displacement” and “further casualties.” Hamas has declared that it will fiercely resist this move. So, what exactly is Israel’s plan to capture Gaza City, and how does it intend to carry it out?
Gaza City, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, is home to millions of Palestinians.
In a statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister, it was said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing to take control of Gaza City.
The statement outlined five principles for ending the war:
The complete disarmament of Hamas
The return of all hostages, whether alive or dead
The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip
Israeli forces assuming security control of Gaza
The establishment of an alternative civilian administration without Hamas or the Palestinian Authority
The IDF also said it would provide humanitarian aid to civilians “outside the war zone.” However, it remains unclear whether this will be new aid or whether it will be delivered through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by Israel and the United States. The question remains whether any other approach will be tried. Before the Israeli cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu had said he wanted control over the entire Gaza Strip, but in the new plan he mentioned only Gaza City. According to Israeli media reports, a heated argument took place between the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff over the matter. The Army Chief strongly opposed taking control of the entire Gaza Strip. Israel claims that it currently controls 75% of Gaza, while the United Nations estimates that about 86% of the territory is either a military zone or an area from which residents have been ordered to leave. Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega, seizing Gaza City could potentially be the first step toward full control of the entire Gaza Strip. Some analysts believe that the threat of controlling all of Gaza may also be a pressure tactic to force Hamas to make concessions in the stalled ceasefire negotiations. In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said that Israel will not keep Gaza under its control, but instead hand it over to Arab powers. He said: “We want security in this area; we do not want to govern it.” According to international correspondent Lyse Doucet, Netanyahu is deliberately not clarifying which Arab countries he considers capable of governing Gaza. It is possible he was referring to Jordan and Egypt, which had shown interest, but both countries made it clear they would not enter Gaza after any Israeli occupation. No further details have been provided regarding the timeline or administrative arrangements for governing Gaza once control is taken.
Almost all of Gaza City has been destroyed due to the Israeli attack
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Israel’s move “wrong,” saying it would lead to further bloodshed. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would no longer allow the export of weapons to Israel that could be used in Gaza. It is worth noting that historically, Germany has been one of the major suppliers of arms to Israel. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the move as “criminal.” The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israel’s aim was to “forcibly displace Palestinians from their own lands.” The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said the war in Gaza must end now. He warned that it would cause large-scale forced displacement, more killings, unbearable suffering, destruction, and atrocities. The Hostages’ Families Forum said the decision was “leading us toward a major disaster for both the hostages and our soldiers.” However, the US reaction was far less critical. The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said the plan was not a cause of concern for the United States. He added: “It is not our job to tell them what they should or should not do.”
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