Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to order the full Israeli military occupation of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports on Monday, which means a significant escalation of the genocidal war is likely coming.
A source in Netanyahu’s office told The Jerusalem Post that Netanyahu had reached a decision on the full occupation and plans to order military operations in areas where Israel believes its captives are being held by Hamas. “The die is cast — we are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip,” an Israeli official told Ynet.
The Israeli military has previously pushed back against plans for a full occupation, but Netanyahu’s message to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is that if he doesn’t like it, he should quit. “There will be operations even in areas where hostages are being held. If the IDF chief of staff doesn’t agree, he should resign,” the Israeli official said.
Netanyahu is set to convene his cabinet on Tuesday, where he will seek approval for the planned escalation. The Israeli military currently controls about 75% of Gaza, and under the new plan, it will work to capture the remaining territory to bring the entire Strip under Israeli control. Israeli reports from last week said that Netanyahu was planning to propose a plan to start annexing territory in Gaza.
The Israeli media reports on Monday did not say what would become of the Palestinian civilians living in the areas currently not occupied by Israel. Israeli officials previously announced a plan to build a concentration camp in a tiny area of southern Gaza with the goal of forcing the entire civilian population into it.
Netanyahu and his government have made clear that their ultimate goal is the removal of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which they now call the “Trump plan.” But so far, there’s been no indication that any regional countries are willing to take in a sizeable amount of Palestinians to facilitate the ethnic cleansing.
The Trump administration has shown no interest in pressuring Israel to end its genocidal war and reach a deal with Hamas, which the US could do by leveraging military aid. While Israeli officials are now claiming Hamas doesn’t want a deal, the group has long said it is willing to release all remaining Israeli captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.
