IRIA News

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Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in what officials describe as a key step toward “defeating Hamas” and “concluding the war.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the decision on Friday, outlining a five-point strategy approved by majority vote.

The plan focuses on disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarizing Gaza, taking security control of the territory, and establishing “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”

According to the Israel Defense Forces, preparations will be made to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid blasted the decision as “a disaster that will lead to many more disasters” and said far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich had dragged Netanyahu into something that was “exactly what Hamas wanted”.

How world leaders are reacting to Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City

The move has drawn strong criticism from within Israel and abroad. Families of the remaining hostages warned that the plan would put at risk the lives of the 20 believed to still be alive in Gaza. Humanitarian groups say the escalation will endanger hundreds of thousands more Palestinians as military operations expand.

UK: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the decision “wrong” and urged Israel to reconsider, warning it would “only bring more bloodshed.” He added that Hamas could “play no part” in Gaza’s future. Australia, Finland, and Turkey have also condemned the plan.

China: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs China expressed “serious concerns” over Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City and urged it to “immediately cease its dangerous actions”. The ministry spokesperson said that “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory,” and called for ceasefire.

UN: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has criticized Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, saying the decision marked “a dangerous escalation” that risks “deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians”. UN human rights chief Volker Turk said hat “the Israeli government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted”.

Turkiye: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the decision and called on international community “to fulfil its responsibilities to prevent the implementation of this decision, which aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land.”

Belgium: Belgium summoned the Israeli ambassador in Brussels to express its “total disapproval” of the decision, as well as Israel’s “continued colonization” of Palestinian land, Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot said.

Spain: Spanish foreign affairs minister, socialist José Manuel Albares, strongly condemned the decision to take over Gaza, which would “only provoke more destruction and suffering”, he said.

U.S.: Meanwhile, President Trump said earlier this week that taking over Gaza was “really up to Israel.” Washington has been mediating indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, but negotiations collapsed two weeks ago. Trump blamed Hamas, saying they “didn’t really want to make a deal.”

Germany halts weapons supply to Israel

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that his country has decided to suspend the export of military equipment that could be used by Israel in Gaza. “The even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved,” he said.

Merz warned that the planned offensive increases Israel’s responsibility to provide for Gaza’s civilians and urged full access for UN agencies and NGOs to deliver aid.

Germany also called on Israel to avoid further steps toward annexing the West Bank. Since the conflict began in October 2023, Germany, Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the U.S., has exported $500 million worth of weapons. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1% of Israel’s arsenal.

Details of the operation

Israeli media reports say that the Israeli military operation will begin with full control of Gaza City, relocating its one million residents to the south. This would include control of refugee camps in central Gaza and areas where hostages are thought to be held. A second offensive would follow weeks later, alongside increased humanitarian aid.

Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are now in the quarter of the territory not under Israeli control. The UN estimates 87% of the strip is either militarized or under evacuation orders. Many Palestinians have been displaced multiple times since the war began, with most now living in overcrowded refugee camps.

The Israeli military controls about three-quarters of Gaza, with the remaining areas in central Gaza and along the Mediterranean coast still outside its hold. Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers would be required for a full takeover.

Aid distribution under fire

U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said there would be an expansion of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a joint Israel-U.S. initiative to deliver aid.

The UN and aid groups have criticized the GHF, saying it forces Palestinians to travel long distances through dangerous areas to receive food. Hundreds have been killed in or near distribution sites since May, with witnesses accusing Israeli forces of responsibility. The IDF denies targeting civilians.

UN-backed experts say most of Gaza is now on the brink of famine. The World Health Organization reported that July saw the worst cases of acute malnutrition among children, with nearly 12,000 under the age of five affected.

Top UN official Miroslav Jenča told the Security Council that occupying Gaza would violate international law and was a “deeply alarming” prospect.