Israel to forcibly push half of Gaza's population south in planned reoccupation assault
The move comes as concern grows within Israel and abroad that a massive new campaign would dash ceasefire talks, kill more Palestinians and endanger Israeli hostages.
Israel would 'gradually' deploy four to five divisions for the campaign, the source added. Reoccupying Gaza in its entirety would need an estimated force of 25,000 to strike into main urban areas, according to military experts.
The Israeli military is widely reported to be against the plans in large part for the strain it would put on the army, which is buckling under the pressure of more than 670 days at war.
The source did not elaborate on how long the operation is expected to take, but Israeli media reports said around 5 months. Israeli outlet Channel 12 reported that the operation would start with an invasion of Gaza City.
Israel was expected on Thursday to approve the plan.
The plan has been condemned across Israeli society, mainly because of the risks it could pose to hostages. Most of the captives have been released through deals with the militant group Hamas, with military rescue operations proving far more risky.
In August last year, six hostages were killed by their captors as Israeli troops closed in. In December 2023, Israeli soldiers killed three hostages, mistaking them for enemy combatants.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the 'direction in which the Cabinet and the Israeli government are heading will lead to all the hostages dying of hunger, beatings and torture'.
Military officials also fear the plan would lead to major losses, public broadcaster Kan reported, with 'dozens' of soldiers killed. Israel's military chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, is widely reported to be against the plan, chiefly because of exhaustion and low army morale.
Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip began in 1967 after it seized the territory from Egypt during the Six-Day War. For nearly four decades, Israel maintained military control over Gaza and established illegal settlements.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza under then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's 'disengagement plan.' All Israeli settlers left, and the military dismantled its bases and left the territory.
However, while the withdrawal ended Israel's ground presence, it retained control over Gaza's airspace, coastline, and borders, leading the UN and international legal bodies to continue considering Gaza as occupied territory under international law.
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