Israel approves invasion and annexation plan from the city of Gaza until October

Israel’s Security Office approved, between Thursday (7) and Friday (8), the plan of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to invade the city of Gaza, the main region of the Arab Enclave.

The decision ignores even alerts from Israel’s defense forces (IDF) about the risks to the life of hostages and the aggravation of the humanitarian catastrophe in the region.

The plan foresees the expulsion of approximately 800,000 Palestinian civilians until October 7 – a date that marks two years of Hamas attack on Israeli soil. After this period, the troops will launch an earthly offensive to completely beeping the city and “eliminate the remaining combatants.”

According to the government, the goal is to “defeat Hamas”, although military has warned that the action directly threatens the 50 hostages still kept in the track.

Despite the rhetorical effort to prevent the term “occupation”, Israeli authorities admit that the operation is equivalent to the imposition of direct military control over the region – a measure that, in practice, paves the way for a territorial attachment policy and forced displacement of the Palestinian population.

According to information released by the newspaper Israel Hayom And confirmed by official sources, the offensive should last up to seven months: three for the invasion, two for taking refugee camps in the center of the territory and two for “cleaning” actions. The operation will require the summons of about 200,000 reservists.

Currently, Israel claims to control 75% of the Gaza Strip. The remaining 25% include densely populated areas such as the city of Gaza and central refugee camps, where, according to military intelligence, most hostages would be concentrated.

The plan approved by the Office establishes five conditions for the war to come to an end: the total disarmament of Hamas, the release of all hostages, the demilitarization of the track, the maintenance of Israeli military control and the installation of a civil government without the participation of Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu told Fox News that, after completing the invasion, he will transfer control of the territory to “Arab forces.” No Arab country, however, agreed to participate in the Administration of the Enclave without the inclusion of the Palestinian Authority – option formally rejected by the Israeli government.

Army head and hostage families warn of tragedy

During the ten-hour meeting of the Security Office, IDF Chief of Staff, General Eyal Zamir, positioned himself against the plan. He warned that there is no guarantee that hostages are not killed in the operation and warned of troop wear, the need to maintain humanitarian and sanitary risks.

Zamir proposed a more contained military alternative, rejected by most ministers. According to him, a total occupation of the track could take up to two years to complete, with an initial five months of intense combat.

Also attending the meeting were members of the hostage negotiation team, who asked the ministers to avoid any decision that makes future agreements impossible. Netanyahu replied that the operation may be interrupted if Hamas accepts the conditions imposed by Israel.

The National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, required the opposite: that the government publicly declares that there will be no negotiation until the full completion of the offensive.

The most striking reaction came from the hostage families, who organized a protest in Tel Aviv on Thursday night. The demonstration blocked streets and faced police repression. Family members accuse the government to sign a death sentence to their loved ones and argue that military pressure has not brought concrete results since March, when the call was launched Operation Carriages of Gideon.

Humanitarian situation deteriorates and international pressure grows

Netanyahu’s decision occurs as Gaza faces a large -scale hunger crisis and more than 2 million people are displaced – many of them multiple times. The city of Gaza today houses almost half of this population, concentrated in the 25% of the territory not yet occupied by Israel.

According to the Ministry of Health of the track, more than 60,000 people have been killed or have been missing since the beginning of the war. Israel claims to have killed 20,000 fighters until January and another 1,600 militants during the October 7 attack.

Even under increasing UN pressure and human rights organizations, Israel rejects accusations of war and genocide crimes. In July, two of the main Israeli human rights groups began to formally use the term “genocide” to describe the ongoing campaign in the track.

Government critics say Netanyahu deliberately prolong the war on refusing any viable alternative to Hamas, excluding even the Palestinian authority. Without a political solution, they warn analysts, the conflict is perpetuated as an instrument of political survival of the far right coalition that supports the prime minister in power.