Israel plans to push half of the population of Gaza to the south of the territory as part of a new campaign to fully reoccupy the enclave, a source told The National.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel intends to retake control of Gaza before turning it over to "civilian governance", as he prepared to meet his security cabinet to discuss war plans on Thursday.
Mr Netanyahu said reoccupation would "ensure our security" and "enable the population to be free" of Hamas rule in Gaza. "We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That's not possible with Hamas."
The expected move comes as concern grows within Israel and abroad that a comprehensive military campaign would dash ceasefire talks, kill more Palestinians and endanger hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel plans to “gradually” send four to five divisions for the campaign, the source added. Reoccupying Gaza in its entirety will need an estimated force of 25,000 to strike into main urban areas, military experts say.
The Israeli military is widely reported to be against the plans in large part for the strain it would put on the army, which is buckling under the pressure of more than 670 days at war. Army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said troops "will continue to express our position without fear". Israeli media said Mr Netanyahu was meeting his security cabinet on Thursday evening to discuss the plans.
A Hamas official warned on Thursday that an expansion of the war would destroy any remaining prospects for a political resolution. "It is Hamas that has continuously pushed for the success of a ceasefire deal, and expanding the war will also destroy prospects for a political solution, one that won't bring Israel security, even at the regional level,” they said.
“Every additional day of this war is a testament to Netanyahu’s political failure. Withdrawal and de-escalation would cost him politically. So instead, he fuels the conflict to shore up far-right support and keep his coalition alive.”
The Israeli source did not elaborate on how long the operation is expected to take, but Israeli media reports say about five months. Israeli outlet Channel 12 reported that the operation would start with an invasion of Gaza city. Israel was expected on Thursday to approve the plan.
As talk of an invasion of Gaza city intensifies, one resident, Mahmoud Al Burbar, 40, said he has yet to decide whether to flee again after being displaced five times already during the war.
“I'm exhausted – mentally, physically. This could be just another tactic to pressure for a ceasefire, I try to tell myself,” the father of two told The National.
“I don't know where to go. The last time I left the city, the experience was bitter. I returned to find destruction. I honestly don't know if I'll leave this time. It all depends on how large the operation will be.”
Wa’ad Abu Zaher, 31, also from Gaza city, said an Israeli invasion “could absolutely be implemented” because destruction means “it's easier for them to enter its centre now”. The city has been damaged by Israeli air strikes throughout the war.
“Even if the occupation is temporary, they’ll do it for the sake of claiming a military achievement,” said Ms Abu Zaher, who is also unsure whether to flee. “Leaving is hard. I already left my home once. When I returned, it was destroyed, but its smell was enough for me to stay.”
At least 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war with Hamas and other factions, authorities in Gaza say. Most of the enclave's 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many more than once, and large swathes of its built-up areas have been razed.
At least 193 people have now died of starvation – 96 of them children – under Israel's blockade of the coastal territory, Gaza health authorities say.
Major losses
The plan has been condemned across Israeli society, mainly because of the risks it could pose to hostages. Most of the captives have been released through deals with the militant group Hamas, with military rescue operations proving far more hazardous.
In August last year, six hostages were killed by their captors as Israeli troops closed in. In December 2023, Israeli soldiers killed three hostages, mistaking them for enemy combatants.
The Hamas source urged the administration of US President Donald Trump to “stop granting Israel carte blanche on military operations and territorial occupation, if it wants its mediation efforts to carry any weight”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the “direction in which the Cabinet and the Israeli government are heading will lead to all the hostages dying of hunger, beatings and torture”.
A forum representing most of the families of Israeli hostages was holding a demonstration outside the cabinet meeting, calling on the public to join an “outcry and call to stop the catastrophic decision to occupy" Gaza.
Military officials also fear the move will lead to major losses, public broadcaster Kan reported, with “dozens” of soldiers killed. Israel’s military chief, Lt Gen Zamir, is widely reported to be against the reoccupation, chiefly because of exhaustion and low army morale.
“We will continue to express our position without fear – in a professional, independent, and substantive manner … We are not dealing with theory — we are dealing with matters of life and death, in the defence of the country,” Mr Zamir said on Thursday in remarks released by the army.
Israel is also under massive international pressure to ease a hunger crisis in Gaza. UN officials have reported modest progress in bringing food and supplies into Gaza but say far more is still needed.
“After months of killing, starvation, and destruction, today we finally had feta cheese,” Mr Al Burbar said. “Away from the threats and the anticipation of a new military operation, we savoured something so ordinary … it felt like a miracle.”
Ms Abu Zaher said it was a moment of “celebration” after she enjoyed her first cup of tea with sugar in three months. But she is not optimistic about the coming days.
Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip began in 1967 after it seized the territory from Egypt during the Arab-Israeli war. For nearly four decades, Israel maintained military control over Gaza and established illegal settlements.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza under then-prime minister Ariel Sharon’s “disengagement plan”. All Israeli settlers left and the military dismantled its bases and departed the territory.
However, while the withdrawal ended Israel’s ground presence, Israel retained control over Gaza’s airspace, coastline and borders, leading the UN and international legal bodies to continue considering Gaza as occupied territory under international law.
Another Gaza city resident, Amira Nassar, 28, recently returned to her home in the Al Zaytoun area to find it burnt to the ground. “All my memories, my books, everything I owned, it’s all gone. They stole my life,” she told The National. “I don’t care about anything now.”
She refuses the idea of fleeing south. “I’d rather die than flee. The only thing I still have is that I’m in Gaza. If they take that away from me, there’s nothing left to live for.”
