Israel’s political-security cabinet has approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City, marking a major escalation in its nearly two-year-old war in the enclave. The decision, announced early Friday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, comes amid mounting domestic and international criticism over the conflict’s humanitarian toll.
“The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” the statement said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. Gaza City, located in the north of the Strip, is the largest urban centre in the territory.
According to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, the plan involves evacuating Palestinian civilians from the city before launching a ground offensive. Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday that Israel intends to take military control of the entire Gaza Strip but does not plan to govern it, suggesting instead that Arab forces could oversee post-war administration. He gave no details on which countries might be involved.
The move has stirred tensions within Israel’s leadership. Military chief Eyal Zamir has reportedly pushed back against expanding the campaign, and some officials have proposed a phased takeover of areas not yet under Israeli control, with advance evacuation warnings to civilians.
If implemented, the operation would reverse Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, when it withdrew soldiers and settlers but maintained control over the territory’s borders, airspace, and utilities. Right-wing factions in Netanyahu’s coalition blame that withdrawal for Hamas’s subsequent rise to power.
Hamas denounced the plan as “a blatant coup” against ongoing negotiations, accusing Netanyahu of seeking to “sacrifice” Israeli captives still held in Gaza. Arab governments have reiterated that any governance arrangement must have Palestinian consent, with Jordan insisting security should be managed by “legitimate Palestinian institutions.”
The U.N. has called reports of an expanded Israeli operation “deeply alarming.” International concern has intensified following recent images of starving children in Gaza and videos of two frail Israeli hostages. Israeli officials believe around 50 hostages remain in the enclave, about 20 of them alive.
Opinion polls show most Israelis favour ending the war through a deal to secure the hostages’ release. However, Netanyahu’s government has vowed to achieve “total victory” over Hamas, which triggered the conflict with its October 2023 attack on Israel.
Two government sources said the full cabinet must still approve the Gaza City plan, with a meeting possibly scheduled for Sunday.
Written By Rodney Mbua
