Israel's Cabinet approves new plan to occupy Gaza City
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Netanyahu during a meeting with Trump at the White House in July. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Israel's security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal for the occupation of Gaza City, a senior Israeli official said.
Why it matters: The decision, which came after more than 10 hours of consultations in the security cabinet, is the first phase in an offensive that could include the occupation of the entire Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces.
- President Trump has decided not to intervene and to let the Israeli government make its own decisions, U.S. officials say.
- The IDF was expected to issue eviction orders ahead of the new offensive to around 1 million Palestinians who are located in Gaza City and its immediate surroundings, Israeli officials said.
What they're saying: "The security cabinet approved the prime minister's proposal to defeat Hamas. The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," the Israeli prime minster's office said in a statement.
- Ahead of the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu confirmed that the IDF would begin a new offensive to occupy the entire Gaza Strip in an effort to root out Hamas.
- "We intend to control all of Gaza. We don't want to keep Gaza. We want a security perimeter. We want to hand Gaza over to Arab forces that will govern Gaza properly," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
Behind the scenes: During the cabinet meeting IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir opposed Netanyahu's proposal and argued that such an operation would endanger the hostages and could lead to Israeli military rule in Gaza with full responsibility over 2 million Palestinians, Israeli officials said.
- The prime minister's office said "an overwhelming majority of cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented to the cabinet [by the IDF] would not achieve the defeat of Hamas or the return of the hostages".
- The ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich voted against the cabinet decision, Israeli officials said.
- Ben-Gvir opposed any delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and Smotrich demanded that the cabinet resolution include a commitment that the operation won't stop under any condition, even for negotiations on a deal to release the hostages.
What to watch: A senior Israeli official said the operation the IDF is preparing for will only take place in Gaza City.
- The prime minister and the defense minister have been authorized by the cabinet to approve the IDF's final operational plan in the coming weeks.
- "The goal is to evacuate all Palestinian civilians from Gaza City to the central camps and other areas by October 7," the official said. "A siege will be imposed on the Hamas militants who remain in Gaza City, and at the same time, a ground offensive will be carried out in Gaza City."
The big picture: The cabinet adopted five principles for ending the war in Gaza, according to the prime minister's office.
- The first is disarming Hamas, the second is returning all hostages — both living and deceased — and the third is the demilitarizing of the Gaza Strip.
- The two other principles are maintaining full Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip even after the war ends and the "establishment of an alternative civilian government that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".
Between the lines: The new operation to occupy additional areas of central Gaza, including Gaza City, is expected to take at least several months and involve displacing around 1 million Palestinian civilians.
- The IDF would also be moving into areas where Israeli officials believe hostages are being held, possibly risking their lives.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
