If Israel occupies the Gaza Strip again, it will dash hopes for Palestinian statehood. It would also end up embedding Israel inside a population that is deeply hostile to it and raise questions about how Israel plans to govern the territory.
Israel’s security cabinet on Monday approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified amount of time, Israeli officials say. If the plan gets implemented, it will vastly expand Israel’s operations there and likely draw fierce international opposition. The plan also includes calling for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Gaza’s south. It is likely to translate into forcible displacement, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
The plan’s approval came after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. Details of the plan were not formally announced, and its exact timing and implementation were not clear. The plan is being seen in the context of Israel’s tactic of pressuring Hamas into making concessions in ceasefire negotiations.
According to an Israeli defence official, the plan will not be unfolded until US President Donald Trump wraps up his expected visit to the Middle East this month, allowing for the possibility that Israel might agree to a ceasefire in the meantime.
In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza following a decades-long occupation. Later, it imposed a blockade on the territory along with Egypt.
Israel’s attempts to occupy the territory again for an indefinite period would not only further dash hopes for Palestinian statehood, but it would also embed Israel inside a population that is deeply hostile to it and raise questions about how Israel plans to govern the territory, especially at a time when it is considering how to implement Trump’s vision to take over Gaza.
After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire ended in mid-March, Israel has unleashed fierce strikes on the territory that have killed hundreds. As per the latest updates, it has captured swaths of territory and now controls roughly 50% of Gaza.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, although about 35 are believed to be dead.
(With inputs from AP)
