Israel plans to capture all of Gaza under new plan, officials say
[May 05, 2025]
By TIA GOLDENBERG and SAM MEDNICK
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel approved plans on Monday to capture the
entire Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount
of time, two Israeli officials said, in a move that if implemented would
vastly expand Israel's operations in the Palestinian territory and
likely bring fierce international opposition.
Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote,
hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens
of thousands of reserve soldiers.
The new plan, which the officials said was meant to help Israel achieve
its war aims of defeating Hamas and freeing hostages held in Gaza, also
would push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, what
would likely exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in mid-March,
Israel has unleashed fierce strikes on the territory that have killed
hundreds. It has captured swathes of territory and now controls roughly
50% of Gaza. Before the truce ended, Israel halted all humanitarian aid
into Gaza, including food, fuel and water, setting off what is believed
to the be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war.
The ban on aid has prompted widespread hunger and shortages have set off
looting.
Israel is trying to ratchet up pressure on Hamas
The Israeli officials said the plan included the “capturing of the strip
and the holding of territories.” The plan would also seek to prevent the
militant Hamas group from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel
says strengthens the group's rule in Gaza. It also accuses Hamas of
keeping the aid for itself to bolsters its capabilities. The plan also
included powerful strikes against Hamas targets, the officials said.
The officials said Israel was in touch with several countries about
President Donald Trump's plan to take over Gaza and relocate its
population, under what Israel has termed “voluntary emigration" yet
which has sparked condemnations from Israel's allies in Europe and the
Arab world.
One of the officials said the plan would be implemented gradually. Both
officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing
military plans.
For weeks, Israel has been trying to ratchet up pressure on Hamas and
prompt it to show more flexibility in ceasefire negotiations. But
international mediators trying to bring the sides toward a new deal have
struggled to do so. Israel's measures do not appear to have moved Hamas
away from its negotiating positions.
The previous ceasefire was meant to lead the sides to negotiate an end
to the war, but that goal has been a repeated sticking point in talks
between Israel and Hamas. Israel says it won’t agree to end the war
until Hamas is defeated. Hamas meanwhile has demanded an agreement that
winds down the war.
Israel's expansion announcement has angered families of the hostages.
The Hostage Forum, which supports families, said on Monday that the plan
puts every hostage at risk and urged Israel's decision-makers to secure
a deal and prioritize the hostages.
At a Knesset committee meeting Monday, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan
is being held hostage, called on soldiers “not to report for reserve
duty for moral and ethical reasons."
Israel wants to prevent Hamas from handling aid
The Israeli officials did not disclose details on how the plan seeks to
prevent Hamas from involvement in aid distribution. One said the
ministers had approved “the option of aid distribution," without
elaborating.
According to an internal memo circulated among aid groups and seen by
The Associated Press, Israel told the United Nations that it will use
private security companies to control aid distribution in Gaza. The
U.N., in a statement Sunday, said it would not participate in the plan
as presented to it, saying it violates its core principles.
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An Israeli army tank maneuvers in the Gaza Strip is seen from
southern Israel, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The memo, sent to aid organizations on Sunday, detailed notes from a
meeting between the Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating
aid to Gaza, COGAT and the UN.
Under COGAT’s plan, all aid will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom
crossing, letting approximately 60 trucks enter daily and
distributing 20 kilograms of aid parcels directly to people on the
day of entry, although their contents were unclear as was how many
people will have access to the aid.
The memo said the aid will be distributed at logistics hubs, which
will be run by private security companies. The memo said that facial
recognition will be used to identify Palestinians at the hubs and
SMS alerts will notify people in the area that they can collect aid.
Aid workers say the plan to centralize aid, rather than delivering
it to Palestinians where they are, will forcibly displace people.
The fighting has displaced more than 90% of Gaza’s population, often
multiple times, and turned Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape.
The UN accuses Israel of wanting to control aid as a ‘pressure
tactic’
The U.N. said the plan would leave large parts of the population,
including the most vulnerable, without supplies. It said the plan
“appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as
a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy.”
The memo says that the U.S. government has voiced clear support for
Israel's plan, but it’s unclear who would provide funding for the
private military companies or the aid.
COGAT and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond
to a request for comment.
Earlier this week, the AP obtained dozens of documents about aid
groups’ concerns that the hubs could end up permanently displacing
Palestinians and forcing them to live in “de facto internment
conditions”.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across Gaza continued overnight, killing
at least 17 people in northern Gaza, according to hospital staff.
Strikes hit Gaza City, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and among the
dead were eight women and children, according to staff at the Shifa
hospital, where the bodies were brought.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern
Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Israel
says 59 captives remain in Gaza, although about 35 are believed to
be dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many
of them women and children, according to Palestinian health
officials, who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians
in their count.
Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war and withdrew troops and
settlers in 2005. Two years later, Hamas took over and has
controlled the territory since.
___
Mednick reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press reporter Wafaa
Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.
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