Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
As public pressure intensifies and families of Israeli hostages protest along the Gaza border, the Israeli military has approved a detailed and controversial plan to occupy Gaza City the political and symbolic heart of the Hamas-controlled territory.
The plan, presented during a classified day-long military conference on Monday, was led by IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and attended by all officers of the rank of colonel and above, as well as commanders of combat units and brigades. The meeting focused on summarizing lessons from recent military campaigns in Gaza, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, and the West Bank and preparing for what the army terms “the next battles.”
According to sources within the army and Israeli media reports, the IDF expects the urban operation to last up to four months. It aims to decisively shift the balance in the conflict, yet the plan comes amid deep divisions within Israeli society and the government over its strategic wisdom and humanitarian consequences.
Mounting Public Dissent
While the army’s leadership deliberated inside a secretive southern command base near the Gaza Strip, the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas staged a protest camp just kilometers away. They directed emotional pleas toward their loved ones, hoping they might hear them, and called on soldiers and officers to reconsider participating in what they see as a politically motivated war.
“We’re being sent into battle not for the security of Israel, but to serve the personal and political interests of the prime minister and his ministers,” said Yonatan Shilo, a reservist officer and founder of the “Shoulder to Shoulder” organization, which campaigns against ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions.
The protest movement has grown increasingly vocal in recent weeks, culminating in massive demonstrations across the country, including an estimated 400,000 people rallying outside the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv on Sunday night. Demonstrators demanded an immediate halt to the war and warned against a full-scale occupation of Gaza City.
Hostage Risk Overshadows Operational Plans
According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11, the army’s plan includes multiple stages, beginning with a humanitarian effort to establish tented zones equipped with basic infrastructure water, food, medical clinics in southern Gaza. This would be followed by mass evacuations of civilians from Gaza City, which are expected to begin within two weeks, pending U.S. review of evacuation protocols.
After the evacuation, the plan proceeds with a gradual encirclement of the city, culminating in a phased ground invasion accompanied by precision airstrikes and naval bombardment.
However, senior military sources admit the operation carries significant risks to the remaining Israeli hostages believed to be held in Gaza some of whom, intelligence suggests, may have been moved into the city precisely to complicate such an invasion.
While Chief of Staff Halevi reassured commanders that every effort would be made to avoid harming hostages, skepticism remains. The head of the Israeli Hostage Directorate, Major General Nitzan Alon, reportedly voiced opposition to the plan during the closed-door briefing.
“There is no guarantee this operation won’t endanger the hostages,” one senior source acknowledged.
Strategic Shifts and International Caution
Israeli media outlets such as Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the IDF has already begun making logistical preparations for the invasion, including deployment of advanced artillery, guided missiles developed by Elbit Systems, and precision strike capabilities able to hit targets the size of a keychain from 30 kilometers away.
Meanwhile, a high-ranking Israeli military officer is said to have traveled to Cairo on Saturday to consult with Egyptian officials ahead of the anticipated operation. U.S. officials have also reportedly asked to review evacuation plans for civilians before the army proceeds, a sign of Washington’s increasing concern over the humanitarian fallout.
The United States has yet to officially respond to the newly approved plan, and American officials have previously warned against any action that could jeopardize ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire or endanger the lives of hostages.
Gaza City: The Final Battle?
The anticipated battle for Gaza City is shaping up to be the most complex and politically fraught phase of Israel’s war on Hamas since it began in October 2023. Military analysts caution that fighting in the dense, tunnel-riddled urban landscape will be unlike any previous operations in the territory.
Israeli forces are already engaged in intense clashes in the city’s outskirts, particularly the Zaytoun neighborhood, which commanders describe as more challenging than expected. Palestinian fighters continue to mount stiff resistance using anti-tank weapons, improvised explosives, and ambush tactics.
A full occupation of Gaza City is expected to reshape its urban landscape much like the devastation witnessed in Rafah, Khan Younis, Jabalia, and Beit Hanoun earlier in the war. But even military officials concede that the operation may be tactically effective yet strategically hollow if it leads to further hostage deaths or collapses the already tenuous diplomatic efforts being pushed by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.
A Nation at a Crossroads
The looming Gaza City invasion comes at a critical moment for Israel. Public trust in the government’s handling of the war continues to erode. Families of hostages demand diplomacy over destruction. Military leaders are navigating the blurred lines between operational necessity and political agendas.
As the army prepares to move into the heart of Gaza, the question remains: Can Israel achieve its objectives without sacrificing the very lives it claims to be fighting for and at what cost to its moral and strategic future?
