What to know about Israel's plan to retake Gaza City
Advertisement
Not much is left of Gaza City
Israel has repeatedly bombarded Gaza City and launched major ground operations there within weeks of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. Several neighborhoods and key infrastructure have been almost completely destroyed.
It was Gaza's most populous city on the eve of the war, home to some 700,000 people, about the population of Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands fled under Israeli evacuation orders at the start of the war but many returned during a ceasefire earlier this year.
Israel already controls and has largely destroyed around 75% of Gaza, with most of the population of some 2 million Palestinians now sheltering in Gaza City, the central city of Deir al-Balah and the sprawling displacement camps in the Muwasi area along the coast.
Advertisement
Israel's offensive has already killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts view its figures as the most reliable estimate of war casualties. Israel disputes them but has not provided its own.
Opposition inside Israel
Another major ground operation will almost certainly lead to the killing of more Israeli soldiers in hit-and-run attacks, eroding domestic support for the war, and could endanger the remaining hostages.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most have since been released in ceasefires or other deals. Fifty remain inside the territory, around 20 of whom are believed by Israel to be alive.
Palestinian militants have released videos in recent days showing emaciated hostages, saying they are suffering the same starvation as the Palestinian population. Hamas is believed to be holding the hostages in tunnels and other secret locations and has hinted it will kill them if Israeli forces draw near.
Former security officials have also spoken out against further military operations, saying there is little to gain after Hamas has been militarily decimated. Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, reportedly argued during a Security Cabinet meeting that a more sweeping plan to retake all of Gaza would endanger the hostages and put added strain on the army after two years of regional wars.
International outrage
Israel has come under mounting international pressure in recent weeks as images of starving children have shone a light on the worsening hunger crisis. Twenty-eight Western-aligned nations, including some of its closest allies, called for it to end the war last month.
Advertisement
Even President Donald Trump, the strongest supporter it has ever had in the White House, has expressed concern about the hunger crisis. He has said he wants to end the war and return all the hostages, but also that it's up to Israel to decide its next moves.
Israel has dismissed the criticism, saying it has done everything it can to limit harm to civilians and blaming Hamas for their deaths. Netanyahu has denied there is starvation in Gaza despite eyewitness testimony, data compiled by experts and dire warnings from United Nations officials and major international aid groups operating there.
Netanayahu has said more military pressure is needed to get Hamas to agree to release the hostages and surrender.
But Hamas has already withstood one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns since World War II. The militant group says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump admin claws back $250M in California solar funding, igniting likely legal battle
California officials say the Trump administration's decision to claw back $250 million already awarded to build solar projects for low-income families and on tribal lands is an 'unlawful termination' that will raise the costs of community solar and battery storage projects in the state. The cuts are part of a sweeping end to a $7 billion Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency program called 'Solar for All' that covered 60 recipients across the country. The EPA announced grant awardees in April 2024. The California Public Utilities Commission said Thursday it received a termination letter, which said Congress made its intent clear in the Republican-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act and that the EPA no longer had 'legal authority or the financial appropriations needed' to continue the program. 'Congress appropriated these funds with a clear mandate,' said a joint statement from the CPUC, California Energy Commission and Labor and Workforce Development Agency. 'Revoking them now undermines our legal system and destabilizes ongoing projects.' EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin posted a video announcing the end of the program Thursday, which he described as a 'grift.' He said 'very little of the money has actually been spent' because building had yet to begin. 'We're committed to the rule of law,' Zeldin said, 'and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars.' Experts say the EPA's legal arguments are thin and likely to be challenged in court — by those who can afford a courtroom battle. 'This administration wants to do as much damage as it possibly can to the green energy industry,' said Dave Owen, an attorney and energy law professor at UC College of the Law, San Francisco. 'They're trying to deal enough blows to them that even when there's a more amenable administration in place, it can't come back.' President Donald Trump has made his critiques of clean energy clear, repeatedly calling solar panels and wind mills ugly and inefficient. Meanwhile, renewables supplied 57% of California's in-state power generation last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EPA's letter argued the Solar for All Funds are 'unobligated,' which attorneys say is likely to be the crux of any legal battle. 'Going through and terminating agreements without cause doesn't magically de-obligate the funding,' said Harvard Law researcher and attorney Abby Husselbee. 'There may be no legal basis for the termination.' Owen said the Trump administration will likely argue that any unspent money is 'unobligated.' The Solar for All program's focus was largely on community solar, which allows ratepayers to use a share of a solar site to offset power use and lower energy bills. Community sites usually target those who live in apartments or can't afford full rooftop arrays. 'It's no secret that energy affordability is an issue in California and across the country, and cancelling Solar for All will only make matters worse — especially for the people who can least afford it,' said Stephanie Bosh, a spokesperson for the country's leading solar trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association. 'At a moment when energy demand is skyrocketing — and solar and storage is the quickest and cheapest energy source to deploy — this administration is continuing to dig itself into a hole.' In its workplan, which the EPA under Biden approved, the state utilities commission laid out its emphasis on reaching disadvantaged communities and federally recognized tribal lands. The commission said $190 million of the funding would cover the costs of up to 20 new community solar sites and up to 100 megawatts of power for up to 30,000 households. It would save those involved 20% on their monthly bills. Locations for sites had not been announced, but would have been spread across the areas covered by investor-owned utilities Pacific Gas and Electric, San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison. A separate $25 million was set aside for areas in the state under public utilities, which would have covered another 8,000 on sites could have started by the end of this year, according to presentations the commission gave on the program. The plan required sites to allot at least 51% of each system's capacity to low-income residents. About $19 million was designated to incentivize solar development on tribal lands, which have historically struggled to access reliable electricity. Millions of dollars were also dedicated to job and workforce development to build the sites. 'There are real effects, real jobs on the line,' Husselbee said. 'All that potential good, that potential savings, has been put to a halt.'
New York Post
3 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump administration seeks $1 billion settlement from UCLA after suspending millions in school's federal grants
The Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement from the University of California, Los Angeles, a White House official said Friday. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the request and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Trump administration has suspended $584 million in federal grants, the university said this week. Advertisement 3 A White House official confirmed that the Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement from the University of California, Los Angeles. YURI GRIPAS/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock In recent weeks, the Department of Justice has accused UCLA of antisemitism. UCLA is the first public university whose federal grants have been targeted by the administration over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action. Advertisement The Trump administration has frozen or paused federal funding over similar allegations against private colleges. The new UC president, James B. Milliken, said in a statement Friday that it had received notice from the Department of Justice and is reviewing it. 3 UCLA said President Trump suspended $584 million in federal grants to the university. Getty Images 3 UCLA has also faced recent accusations of antisemitism from the Department of Justice. Getty Images Advertisement 'Earlier this week, we offered to engage in good faith dialogue with the Department to protect the University and its critical research mission,' Milliken said. 'As a public university, we are stewards of taxpayer resources and a payment of this scale would completely devastate our country's greatest public university system as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians.' UCLA recently reached a $6 million settlement with three Jewish students and a Jewish professor who sued the university, arguing it violated their civil rights by allowing pro-Palestinian protesters in 2024 to block their access to classes and other areas on campus. The university has said it is committed to campus safety and inclusivity and will continue to implement recommendations.
New York Post
3 minutes ago
- New York Post
Inside Israel's plan to take over Gaza City — with one date holding symbolic meaning
Israel's security cabinet approved a plan Friday to take over Gaza City in a major escalation of its war against Hamas — with the risky move expected to take place in phases. The announcement stopped short of stating Israel would take over the entire Palestinian enclave; however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that an entire takeover is what the Jewish state intends to do. The plan to take control of the Gaza Strip's largest city and capital will reportedly be gradual and in multiple phases, a source told CNN. The first phase of the operation, according to the source, would involve the evacuation of Gaza City and an expansion of aid distribution. 3 An Israeli soldier gestures next to an Israeli flag at an area near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel on July 30. ABIR SULTAN/EPA/Shutterstock The deadline for Palestinians to flee the major city would reportedly be Oct. 7, the second anniversary Hamas' depraved attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the kidnapping of 250 more. That date was picked intentionally for its symbolism, the source told CNN. And while humanitarian aid is expected to ratchet up during this phase, it won't take place in Gaza City, so civilians don't linger in the area, a second Israeli source told the outlet. It wasn't clear what exactly the subsequent phases would involve, but the overall plan could take up to five months, an Israeli official reportedly said before the cabinet's high-stakes vote. The approved plan ultimately calls to disarm Hamas and retrieve the rest of the living hostages and bodies of slain hostages, while demilitarizing the entire strip. It also calls for a new government to rule the enclave that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. 3 Israeli soldier organize equipment as they are standing on tanks near the border with the Gaza Strip on August 6, 2025. Getty Images Meanwhile, as the takeover plan was approved, the Israel Defense Forces was seen in commercial satellite images adding more troops and equipment near the border of Gaza Friday. The buildup indicates that a fresh ground invasion of the neighboring territory is possible, three US officials and a former official who saw the photos told NBC News. Netanyahu has said he wants to take over all of Gaza, but doesn't want to govern it permanently and instead wants to hand it off to an Arab governance that won't seek to destroy Israel. 3 Tents used as temporary shelters by displaced Palestinians are set up near war-damaged buildings in Gaza City on August 8, 2025. AFP via Getty Images The takeover plan has drawn fierce blowback, including from IDF chief Eyal Zamir, who claimed it would put the hostages in danger and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the first source told CNN. Following the security cabinet's vote, Germany announced it wouldn't send more military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza. Foreign ministers in the Netherlands and Denmark called Israel's latest decision 'wrong' while European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen said it 'must be reconsidered.' With Post wires
