Overview

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on August 7 that Israel intends to occupy the entire Gaza Strip militarily and then hand over governance to an unspecified third party.
• IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir publicly opposed the plan, warning it could prolong fighting and endanger the roughly 50 hostages still held by Hamas.
• Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled to meet Thursday night to consider approving an expanded offensive to seize remaining areas of Gaza.
• Gaza faces a deepening humanitarian catastrophe, with more than 61,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023 and nearly 12,000 children under five identified with acute malnutrition in July.
• Families of hostages and other Israeli demonstrators have organized protests by sea and on land to oppose any military escalation that could threaten captives.