Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan for a full-scale military operation in Gaza, involving the reoccupation of the enclave and the creation of a new civilian administration without Hamas. The decision was made despite military warnings about risks to hostages, alerts of a looming humanitarian disaster, and sharp international criticism.
Israel’s security cabinet has endorsed an expanded military operation in Gaza that will lead to the complete reoccupation of the enclave, despite warnings from the military over the safety of hostages and international condemnation over the high civilian death toll among Palestinians.
Under the plan, the operation will begin with the gradual takeover by Israeli forces of the ruins of Gaza City—a stage that could take several months. This would be followed by the establishment of “a civilian administration for the entire enclave,” effectively marking a new phase of its occupation.
The decision was made during a late-night meeting at which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet—backed by ultranationalist factions—rejected alternative proposals from the military after weeks of heated public disputes. In a statement, the cabinet said the IDF “will prepare to establish control over Gaza City, while ensuring humanitarian assistance to civilians outside combat zones.”
The plan calls for Israel to maintain security control over Gaza and subsequently establish an alternative civilian administration excluding both Hamas, which has ruled the enclave since 2007, and the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.
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The vote took place in the 22nd month of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and marks a significant expansion of the conflict—one that U.S. President Donald Trump has urged to end as quickly as possible. The decision paves the way for the reoccupation of the Strip—for the first time since 1967—and the effective establishment of Israeli control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the escalation “a mistake” and urged Netanyahu’s government to “immediately reconsider” its decision. “This will not bring the conflict closer to an end or help free the hostages. It will only lead to more bloodshed,” he said.
Reports indicate that the army opposed the move, which would require the fresh mobilization of reservists to support units worn down by months of fighting and the forced evacuation of up to one million Palestinians, many of whom have already been displaced multiple times. It is expected to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where hunger, homelessness, and disease have already gripped much of the population.
Military officials privately warned that the expanded operation could endanger the lives of 20 hostages held by Hamas and hinder the recovery of the bodies of another 30 people. They viewed a ceasefire as the best option for securing their release.
Hamas said that Netanyahu’s planned operation undermines the efforts of mediators from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to reach a hostage-release deal. Such an agreement would have included a ceasefire, the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries, the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
In an interview with Fox News ahead of the vote, Netanyahu declined to specify how long Israel’s occupation of Gaza might last, hinting only at the possibility of transferring control to “Arab” forces. “We don’t want to hold it,” he said. “We want a security perimeter, but not to administer the territory.”
The prime minister’s plan may be an attempt to pressure Hamas into accepting hostage-exchange terms while simultaneously meeting the demands of the ultranationalist ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the decision “a catastrophe that will lead to further catastrophes” and accused Netanyahu of catering to his far-right allies while ignoring military advice. He warned that implementing the plan “will drag on for months, lead to the deaths of the hostages, kill many soldiers, cost Israeli taxpayers tens of billions, and trigger political collapse.”
“This is exactly what Hamas wanted: for Israel to become bogged down on the battlefield with no objective and no clear plan for the ‘day after’—in a pointless occupation,” Lapid wrote on X.
According to local health authorities, the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The conflict was triggered by the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which, according to Israeli officials, 1,200 people were killed and about 250 others were taken hostage.