Israeli Security Cabinet OKs plan to occupy all of Gaza

The Israeli Security Cabinet on Thursday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand military action in Gaza. The Israeli military was preparing to take control of Gaza City, according to the prime minister’s office, and would continue distributing humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones. Lawmakers in the cabinet on Thursday adopted five principles for ending the war:

• Disarming Hamas

• Returning all living and dead hostages

• Demilitarizing the Gaza Strip

• Asserting security control in the region

• Establishing an alternative civil administration separate from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority

Is there any other plan? Ahead of the vote Thursday, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir presented an alternative plan after he voiced concerns about taking over Gaza. He said Netanyahu’s proposal could worsen the humanitarian crisis, increase the risk to hostages, and strain international relationships. But the Security Cabinet believed the alternative plan would neither achieve the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages, according to the prime minister’s office.

Aid deliveries have continued throughout the war, according to Israel. Palestinian authorities and aid groups claim supplies have sat for months at depots and that distribution sites have become dangerous. The World Health Organization last month said thousands of children in Gaza were being treated for malnutrition.

How have international leaders responded? European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged Israel to reconsider its decision and pursue a ceasefire, while Germany halted exporting military equipment that could be used by Israel in Gaza. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the plan did not consider the exhaustion felt by combat troops. Palestinian leader Mustafa Barghouti accused Netanyahu of seeking to conduct ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the region. Leaders from countries including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, China, and Saudi Arabia also spoke out against the plan. 

Dig deeper: Read my report from earlier this week about initial reports of Netanyahu’s plan.