The Israeli government’s plans to escalate military operations in Gaza involve the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian civilian population of Gaza City and Gaza’s central refugee camps, according to Israeli media reports.
Ynet reported that Israel plans to “push the civilian population out of the area and direct them to the south, in an effort to prompt them to leave” Gaza altogether. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been speaking openly about the fact that their ultimate goal is the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip, which they call “voluntary migration,” though it’s unclear where the Palestinian population would go.
The new offensive is expected to take “months,” and the IDF is warning that it would lead to heavy Israeli casualties and that the remaining Israeli captives could be killed, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to go through with the escalation. “The intention is to conquer Gaza,” an Israeli official told Ynet.
The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu is set to convene his security cabinet on Thursday at 6 pm Israel time and it is expected to approve the escalation plans despite IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other military officials warning against it. Family members of Israeli captives held in Gaza are also strongly opposed to the planned escalation.
“The truth must be told: expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages who are already in immediate mortal danger,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote on X on Wednesday. “The majority of the Israeli public supports the return of the hostages and a cessation of hostilities.”
Since Israel is reliant on US military aid to sustain its genocidal war in Gaza, it requires US support to escalate, and President Trump has signaled he will go along with whatever Netanyahu decides. When asked on Tuesday about the plans for the full Israeli military occupation of the Strip, Trump said that it was “going to be pretty much up to Israel.”
Previous Israeli media reports said Netanyahu was also proposing the idea of annexing territory in Gaza. Israeli settlers say they’re ready to start moving into the Palestinian territory, and they have strong support within the Netanyahu government.
