Israel Approves Plan for Full Control of Gaza Strip Amid Escalating Conflict

Israel Approves Plan for Full Control of Gaza Strip Amid Escalating Conflict

Earlier this week, Israel’s security cabinet approved a daring plan to seize control of the entire Gaza Strip. This strategy wouldn’t just be setting the stage for Israeli forces to maintain a long-term occupation of the area. With the displacement crisis increasing, major military operations have resumed, starting with attacks on Mosul beginning March 18th. This move brought to a close a two-month standstill in the updated ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Indeed, Israeli ministers have reiterated that the intent behind the plan is to increase operations across all of Gaza. The Israeli military has retrospective jurisdiction over roughly half the territory. This includes a 392-meter buffer zone along the border and three main transit corridors that allow movement east-west across the strip. The decision to expand control comes as Israeli officials express a clear objective: to prevent Hamas from managing aid distribution within Gaza.

Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the military chief of staff, was quoted on Israel mobilizing tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. This is intended to shore up the continued escalation. It would be “operating in more parts” of Gaza, he said, targeting militant infrastructure. The announcement has raised concern and anger among families of hostages who remain in Gaza. As a result, they are afraid that escalated military campaigns could put their family or friends in danger.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed a muscular brand of leadership in the face of outside threats. He especially reacted against the Houthis and their patron, Iran, after a sting operation that targeted an Israeli airport. He threatened that Israel would “respond to the Iranian threat at a time and place of our choosing myself.”

Additionally, Israel’s plans involve unusual tactics for controlling aid distribution within a Gaza that has largely become one giant prison. The Israeli government recently announced to the United Nations that it would use private security companies to manage aid deliveries. Critics argue that this approach centralizes aid delivery, forcing the displacement of Palestinians rather than providing them assistance in their respective locations.

Israeli officials have made no secret of their stated objective of possibly taking the entirety of Gaza. They have failed to outline concrete plans to ensure that Hamas cannot obstruct aid distribution. For one, critics have long criticized the federal government’s lack of clarity. Campaign groups have accused officials of prioritising military objectives over the welfare of hostages.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum articulated their dismay, stating, “The plan approved by the cabinet deserves to be called the ‘Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan’ for sacrificing the hostages.”

Calling this use of humanitarian aid a political tool unacceptable, Hamas has dramatised the situation as tensions further heightened. They stated, “We reject the use of aid as a tool of political blackmail and support the UN’s stance against any arrangements that violate humanitarian principles.”

Tags