TEL AVIV: Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday. The decision, reached in the early hours, marks a fresh escalation in Israel’s 22-month-long offensive that began in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack.
The war has already claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives, devastated much of Gaza, and pushed its population of around two million toward famine.
The meeting of the Security Cabinet began Thursday night and continued until Friday morning. Before the session, Netanyahu had declared Israel’s intention to regain full control of Gaza and later transfer authority to friendly Arab states opposed to Hamas. However, the approved plan appears more limited—reportedly reflecting caution from Israel’s top general, who warned it could jeopardize the roughly 20 hostages still held by Hamas and further exhaust the army after nearly two years of conflict. Families of hostages have voiced strong opposition, fearing the move will endanger their loved ones.
Gaza City has faced repeated bombardments and raids by Israeli forces, but militants have regrouped each time, forcing the army to return. It remains one of the few parts of Gaza neither turned into an Israeli buffer zone nor placed under evacuation orders. A large-scale ground operation there could displace tens of thousands more people and further disrupt already limited food deliveries.
The city’s current population is unclear. Hundreds of thousands fled under evacuation orders early in the war, but many returned during a brief ceasefire earlier this year.
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An expanded operation risks worsening Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe while deepening Israel’s global isolation. Israel already controls about three-quarters of the territory. Critics, including former senior Israeli security officials, warn the plan could lead to a prolonged quagmire with little strategic gain.
Some hostage families protested outside the Security Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. An Israeli official, speaking anonymously before the decision was announced, said any approved actions would be rolled out gradually to intensify pressure on Hamas.
Israel’s air and ground assault has displaced most of Gaza’s population, destroyed vast areas, and caused severe food shortages. “There is nothing left to occupy,” said Maysaa Al-Heila, a woman living in a displacement camp. “There is no Gaza left.”