Israel announced earlier on Friday that it plans to take over the city of Gaza, the largest urban area in the territory and has suffered severe damage amid repeated Israeli attacks.
In one of the few areas of Gaza that have not yet been evacuated, another major ground action could trigger more massive displacement and further undermine efforts to provide urgently needed food on the territory, experts warn that famine is unfolding.
Israel faces ongoing calls from many of its closest allies to end the war, and the plan faces opposition within Israel, with the remaining 20 or so hostages from Hamas and security agencies, who say there is little military gain at this time.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said more military pressure is needed to achieve Israel’s goal of returning to hostages and destroying Hamas.
There are not many in Gaza
Israel repeatedly bombed the city of Gaza and began large-scale ground operations within weeks of the war triggered by the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Several communities and critical infrastructure were almost completely destroyed.
On the eve of the war, it was Gaza’s most populous city with about 700,000 people, and the population of Washington, D.C., and thousands fled Israel’s evacuation orders at the beginning of the war, but many returned during the ceasefire earlier this year.
Israel has taken control and has largely destroyed about 75% of Gaza, with the majority of its population about 2 million Palestinians sheltering the city of Gaza, the central city of Deir Al-Balah and the sprawling displacement camps in the coastal Muwasi region.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, not to say how many are fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas government and is composed of medical professionals. The United Nations and independent experts believe that their numbers are the most reliable estimate of war casualties. Israel objected to them, but has not yet provided it.
Oppositions within Israel
It is almost certain that another major ground operation will result in more Israeli soldiers killing more Israeli soldiers in the attack, thereby weakening domestic support for the war and potentially endangering the rest of the hostages.
In the October 7 attack, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped 251 people. Since then, most people have posted in ceasefires or other transactions. Fifty people remained in the territory, and Israel believes that about 20 of them are still alive.
Palestinian militants recently released videos showing thin hostages saying they were hungry as the Palestinian population. Hamas is believed to have taken hostages in tunnels and other secret locations and suggests that it will kill them if Israeli troops approach.
Former security officials also opposed further military operations, saying Hamas had gained little after being military-eliminated. Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir reportedly argued at a security cabinet meeting that a more comprehensive plan would endanger hostages and put additional pressure on the military after two years of regional war.
International anger
Israel has been under international pressure in recent weeks as images of hungry children have illuminated the growing hunger crisis. Twenty-eight countries that align with the West, including their closest allies, called for an end to the war last month.
Even President Donald Trump is the most powerful supporter of the White House ever and is concerned about the hunger crisis. He said he wanted to end the war and return to all hostages, but it was up to Israel to decide its next move.
Israel dismissed the criticism, saying it had done everything it could to limit the harm to civilians and blamed Hamas for his death. Netanyahu denied that despite eyewitness testimony, the terrible warnings from experts and the major international aid groups operating there were still hungry in Gaza despite eyewitness testimony.
Netanayahu said greater military pressure is needed to get Hamas to agree to release the hostages and surrender.
But Hamas has mastered one of the deadliest and most destructive military movements since World War II. Militant groups say it will release only the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and Israeli evacuation.
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