Overview
- Israel’s political-security cabinet voted early on August 8 to authorize the Israel Defense Forces to prepare a ground offensive in Gaza City
- The approved strategy is guided by five principles: disarm Hamas, secure the return of all hostages, demilitarize the Gaza Strip, maintain Israeli security control and install a non-hostile civilian administration
- Israel already controls about 75 percent of the Gaza Strip and plans to issue evacuation warnings and set up aid corridors outside designated combat areas
- Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and hostage families protested the decision, warning that a full operation could endanger captives and overstretch the military
- The United Nations described the expanded operation as deeply alarming and cautioned it could have catastrophic consequences for Gaza’s civilian population