Israel approves plan to capture entire Gaza strip

TEL AVIV, Israel. Israeli Cabinet ministers have approved a new military plan to seize full control of the Gaza Strip and remain in the territory indefinitely, two Israeli officials confirmed on Monday.

The plan, discussed and passed during an early morning vote, comes amid a renewed military campaign against Hamas. Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi had earlier announced the mobilization of tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. According to the officials, the operation is intended to fulfill Israel’s war objectives: to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza.

The officials, who spoke on anonymity due to the sensitivity of military planning, described the initiative as one that includes the “capturing of the strip and the holding of territories.” They added that the strategy would further displace Palestinians to southern Gaza, exacerbating what is already one of the worst humanitarian crises in the nearly 19-month-long war.

Humanitarian Collapse Worsens

Since the breakdown of a temporary truce in mid-March, Israeli forces have escalated aerial and ground offensives, claiming hundreds of lives and gaining control of nearly 50% of Gaza. The collapse of the ceasefire also led to Israel halting all humanitarian aid, including food, water, and fuel, a decision that triggered widespread hunger and looting in the war-ravaged territory.

The U.N. has criticized these tactics, saying the aid restrictions appear to be a calculated measure. In a statement Sunday, the U.N. warned that the plan “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic, as part of a military strategy.”

Aid Distribution and Control Under Scrutiny

According to an internal memo reviewed by The Associated Press, Israel presented a new aid delivery framework to the U.N., which involves private security firms managing logistics hubs where Palestinians would receive food parcels, reportedly 20 kilograms per person, directly upon entry into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing. Facial recognition technology and SMS alerts would be used to organize the distribution.

Despite these efforts, the U.N. has refused to participate in the proposed distribution scheme, stating that it violates its fundamental principles and could leave vast segments of the population, including the most vulnerable, without access to essential supplies.

Aid groups also expressed alarm, with some warning that the logistics hubs could result in the “de facto internment” of Palestinians, raising human rights concerns about possible permanent displacement.

International Pressure and “Voluntary Emigration” Proposal

In addition to the military operation, one of the Israeli officials revealed that Israel is in talks with several countries regarding former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Gaza’s population under what Israel refers to as “voluntary emigration.” The term has drawn strong condemnation from European and Arab allies alike, who fear it could amount to forced displacement.

The official emphasized that the new plan would be implemented in stages.

War Continues as Negotiations Stall

Despite international mediation efforts, negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked. Israel has insisted it will not agree to end the war until Hamas is entirely defeated, while Hamas continues to demand a deal that includes winding down the war.

The conflict, which erupted when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, has since resulted in the deaths of more than 52,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities. The majority of the casualties, they say, are women and children, though their statistics do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

To date, more than 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, many of them multiple times, turning the enclave into what observers have described as an uninhabitable wasteland.

Israel, which occupied Gaza during the 1967 Mideast war, withdrew its troops and settlers in 2005. Hamas took control of the territory in 2007 and has ruled it since.