Overview

• The cabinet endorsed Prime Minister Netanyahu’s proposal to seize full military control of Gaza City in a multi-month campaign aimed at defeating Hamas and clearing the area.
• The operation’s first phase calls for the evacuation of roughly one million residents from Gaza City by October 7, marking the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
• Five guiding principles include disarming Hamas, securing the release of all hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, maintaining Israeli security oversight and installing an interim Arab-led civil administration.
• IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir publicly warned that the planned offensive risks dragging Israel into a “black hole” without a clear strategy for civilian safety and postwar stability.
• Preparations are underway despite large domestic protests led by hostage families, public UN warnings of catastrophic humanitarian fallout and Germany’s suspension of arms exports.