Israel Defense Forces Preparing Plan to Capture Gaza City

As part of the plan to capture Gaza City, the IDF will have to mobilize an additional 250,000 reservists and evacuate about a million civilians from the area, Israeli N12 News reports.

Following the Cabinet’s decision, the Israel Defense Forces were tasked with preparing operational plans for the capture of Gaza City. To operate in the city, the army will first have to evacuate from 800,000 to 1 million civilians in the area. It is expected that the same number of people will be moved to the humanitarian zone in Al-Mawas, and this should happen by October 7 this year.

In the coming days, the Israeli Defense Forces will present a plan to the political leadership, which includes the mobilization of about 250,000 reservists. According to a possible scenario, the military will surround Gaza City, establish humanitarian zones and food distribution points. After that, residents will begin to leave the city. It is expected that the troops will occupy Gaza, and it is possible that the operation will be extended to the central camps for displaced persons.

Gaza City is the largest settlement in the northern part of the Strip, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Its dense urban landscape with a network of underground tunnels used by Hamas militants makes it a complex battlefield. Some surviving Israeli hostages are believed to be held there. The Israeli military will have to act in a way that preserves the lives of the hostages.

Some analysts believe that Israel probably hopes that increased military pressure will bring Hamas back to the negotiating table on favorable terms and allow it to suspend the operation at any time. But this is a big gamble, given the pressure on the military and the risks to its international image and domestic support, The Wall Street Journal notes.

Israel may have “bitten off more than it can chew,” said Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv-based think tank.

The Israeli military has expressed doubts about the plan. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir opposed the plan, warning that it could lead to traps set by Hamas and that troops need time to rest.

Since the ceasefire broke down in March, Israel has seized about 75% of the Gaza Strip, and part of the city is already under its control. On Thursday, the military ordered the evacuation of two more neighborhoods – al-Daraj and al-Tuffa – in response to what it said were rocket attacks from these areas.

According to Israeli officials, understaffing is one of the main constraints, as the army has been fighting on several fronts for almost two years – in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank.

Commanders say it is increasingly difficult to convince reservists to participate in new rounds of fighting in Gaza. Their service is not compulsory, but Israel provides certain benefits based on family circumstances and financial status, especially given the long periods of mobilization.

In recent weeks, the military has pulled out of Gaza to give soldiers time to rest. Several reservists told The Wall Street Journal that they would not return to Gaza if called back. The excessive burden on soldiers has led to a decline in public support for the war.

Polls in Israel have shown for months that the vast majority of the population supports ending the war in exchange for the release of hostages. A recent study conducted by the Chord Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that 79% of Israelis consider ending the war in Gaza to be the most urgent national task.

Families of hostages held by Hamas fear that military operations in the neighborhoods where they are staying could put their lives at risk.

Israel’s plan risks deepening its international isolation. Analysts doubt that the threat of occupation will be enough to move the ceasefire talks forward. Last month, Israel and the United States withdrew their teams from the talks, saying that Hamas showed no interest in reaching a deal. Hamas, in turn, said it was negotiating in good faith.

“Maybe Israel is in some way rushing to military methods, which may ultimately prove to be a mistake, but it doesn’t have many options,” said Israel Ziv, a retired Israeli general who once commanded a division in Gaza.