Israeli Cabinet Approves Plan To Capture “All Of Gaza”

Tel Aviv:

Israel’s security cabinet sanctioned a plan to occupy the whole Gaza Strip and stay there for an unknown period of time, as reported by Associated Press, citing two officials. If carried out, the plan would massively increase Israel’s presence in the Palestinian enclave, which would presumably worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Israeli Cabinet ministers ratified the plan in a vote before dawn on Monday, hours after the Israeli military chief announced the army was summoning tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. The action is one of the efforts by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ratchet up pressure on Hamas to release hostages and agree to a ceasefire on Israel’s terms. The officials informed AP that the plan is designed to assist Israel in meeting its war objectives of beating Hamas. It would also pressure hundreds of thousands of Palestinians towards southern Gaza.

Ever since a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas broke down in mid-March, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have unleashed intense bombardments on Palestinian land, killing dozens of individuals and taking control of vast areas of land. According to reports, Israel now controls approximately 50 per cent of Gaza.

Even prior to the ceasefire deal’s collapse, Israel had stopped all humanitarian assistance into Gaza, such as food, fuel and water, triggering what is said to be the worst humanitarian crisis in almost 19 months of conflict.

What The Plan Says

In the words of Israeli officials, the plan entailed the “capture of the strip and the occupation of territories.” It would also aim to thwart the Hamas organization from distributing humanitarian assistance, which Israel claims to enhance the organization‘s grip in Gaza. Israel has also accused Hamas of appropriating the aid for itself in order to strengthen its capabilities.
“The plan also involved intense attacks on Hamas targets,” the officials added. One of the officials added that the plan would be rolled out step by step.

The report added that Israel was consulting with a number of countries regarding President Donald Trump’s proposal to capture Gaza and resettle its inhabitants, under what Israel has described as “voluntary emigration”. The plan, however, drew condemnations from Israel’s allies in Europe and the Middle East.

For several weeks, Israel has attempted to build pressure on Hamas and induce it to become more flexible in negotiations over a ceasefire. International mediators seeking to drive the parties toward a new agreement, however, have not been successful. Israel’s steps don’t seem to have nudged Hamas away from its negotiating stances.

The last ceasefire was intended to push the parties to negotiations towards a resolution of the war, but that has remained a recurring point of contention in negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israel indicates that it will not settle on halting the war until Hamas is defeated. Hamas has insisted on a deal that de-escalates the war.