Benjamin Netanyahu Pushes Forward Plan to Occupy Gaza City Amid Deepening Crisis
In one of the most aggressive escalations of the war so far, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has secured approval from the country’s security cabinet for the military to take control of Gaza City.
The plan, confirmed in a statement from Netanyahu’s office early on Friday, outlines Israel’s intent: “The [Israeli military] will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones.”
Gaza City, located in the north of the Palestinian enclave, has already suffered months of bombardment, shortages and mass displacement. This latest decision still requires authorisation from Israel’s full government cabinet, which may not convene until Sunday, according to two Israeli officials who spoke to Reuters.
If implemented, the move would force tens of thousands of remaining residents to flee. Many are already facing severe hunger, with aid agencies warning of famine conditions as Israel continues to block large-scale humanitarian deliveries.
Axios journalist Barak Ravid, who first reported the details, quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying the plan involves removing “all Palestinian civilians from Gaza City to the central camps and other areas by October 7”. The same source confirmed:
“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.”
Speaking ahead of the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News that Israel would “take control of all Gaza”. He also dismissed the idea of Israel ruling the territory permanently, stating:
“We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it.”
He suggested that control of Gaza could be handed over to a third party, though he offered no details on who that might be.
Reports of the planned takeover have circulated in Israeli media for days, with Al Jazeera’s Washington correspondent Shihab Rattansi noting that the move had been “telegraphed for several days now”. He also pointed out that former US president Donald Trump “has all but greenlit whatever Benjamin Netanyahu wants to do”.
The war, which began in October 2023, has already killed more than 61,000 Palestinians. Gaza City, once the most populated part of the enclave, saw hundreds of thousands flee under Israeli evacuation orders in the early weeks of fighting. Some returned briefly during a ceasefire earlier this year.
The humanitarian crisis is worsening. Nearly 200 people have died from starvation and malnutrition, and aid groups warn that a major military assault could cut off food access entirely for many more. For some residents, the news of the planned occupation is devastating.
“There is nothing left to occupy,” said Gaza resident Maysaa al-Heila. “There is no Gaza left.”
