Israel plans to take over Gaza City after two years of war

Israel said on Friday that it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and renewing international pressure for an end to the conflict. Israel’s air and ground war has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, and destroyed and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation is unclear. It will probably require mobilising thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly worsening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.  Israel already controls around three-quarters of the territory.

Hamas rejected Israel’s plans. “Expanding of aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park,” the group said in a statement. Israel’s new plan may be aimed in part at pressuring Hamas to accept a ceasefire on Israel’s terms. It may also reflect the reservations of Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, who reportedly warned that expanding operations would endanger the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and further strain Israel’s army after nearly two years of regional wars. The military “will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones”, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.