Israel’s security cabinet has voted last night to escalate military operations in Gaza. They are now focused on taking the entire city of Gaza as Israel’s war on Hamas ramps up. International pressure had been building to ameliorate the humanitarian crisis. This decision addresses head-on the grave humanitarian situation of hostages seized by the terrorist organization. The Israeli government remains adamant on seeking Hamas’s destruction, the group they say is responsible for last week’s attacks on Israel. Simultaneously, they continue to try and rescue the fifty hostages in Gaza.
The new plan disclosed by Israeli government leaders would see the forced removal of as many as one million Palestinians to southern Gaza. Today, Israel controls nearly 90% of the territory. Military advice is ringing alarm bells, cautioning that a complete takeover risks devastating long-term fallout. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated his intention to take complete military control of Gaza during an interview with Fox News.
Strategic Objectives
The Israeli military’s intensified strategy now seems to involve a combination of increasing their military control while establishing a humanitarian footprint. Long-term costs might be substantial. Officials have suggested that although Israel would be able to take military control of Gaza, the long-term costs might be substantial.
The proposal would increase the number of food aid distribution centers operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). This next year, they’ll grow from four sites all the way to up to sixteen! This expansion is a much-needed, albeit belated, acknowledgment of the mounting humanitarian concerns, which have risen sharply with the spreading conflict.
Despite these efforts, Gen. Eyal Zamir has warned that further military escalation carries risks of worsening the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Furthermore, as he stated, international repercussions and greater civilian suffering would be the likely result.
“will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes” – UN human rights chief Volker Türk
Hostage Situation and Humanitarian Concerns
The Israeli government’s plan has been announced with the intention to do so in part by rescuing hostages taken by Hamas. Of the fifty people officially listed as missing, at least twenty of them are thought to currently be alive. The families of the hostages remain panic stricken and deflated. They have slammed the government’s moves, labeling the entire debacle “the biggest fraud of all time.”
Phase one of Israel’s current operational plan has an expiration date of October 7. This phase involves a humanitarian corridor that would allow evacuation of Gaza City, the heart of the fighting, and increased efforts to distribute humanitarian assistance. This timeline highlights the critical need to balance and pursue military and humanitarian objectives. In 2023, Israel is once again approaching a full occupation of Gaza, as it did before 2005—from which it withdrew its settlers and military forces from Gaza.
International Response and Implications
In response, the international community has expressed outrage and condemnation at Israel’s deepening military onslaught. Countries across the world, including our allies, have called for restraint and highlighted the importance of diplomacy to de-escalate current tensions. Human rights organizations have sounded the alarm as the threat of a humanitarian disaster increases. They worry that mass displacements and civilian casualties could soon become a grim reality.
Israel’s military is now vocally pushing for diplomacy to halt the war. They know that taking both approaches and doing so urgently is the best way to diminish the harm faced by civilians caught in the fighting. Yet, with military purpose singularly at the center, advocates say these kinds of priorities can be necessarily poorly prioritized.
