Israeli gov’t orders IDF to ‘take control’ of entire Gaza Strip to disarm Hamas & return hostages

Israeli gov’t orders IDF to ‘take control’ of entire Gaza Strip to disarm Hamas & return hostages

All Israel News Staff

The Israeli Security Cabinet ordered the Israel Defense Forces to take control of the entire Gaza Strip, approving a plan supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite significant concerns from the military top leadership.

The plan was approved after a Cabinet meeting late on Thursday evening, which was accompanied by protests led by hostage families, who warned that expanding the fighting into areas where the remaining captives are held could put their lives at risk.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) called the plan a “proposal for defeating Hamas” in an official statement published on Friday morning. The PMO listed five “principles for concluding the war.”

1. The disarming of Hamas.

2. The return of all the hostages – both living and deceased.

3. The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

4. Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip.

5. The establishment of an alternative civil administration to govern Gaza that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

Notably, the statement did not use the terms “conquer” or “occupy,” instead stating that the IDF would “prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones.”

The Israeli army is currently holding around 75% of the Gaza Strip, except Gaza City and the so-called “central camps” area south of the city.

According to Israeli media, Israel will give Gaza City’s civilian population a deadline until Oct. 7 to evacuate, before the military will encircle and besiege the remaining Hamas fighters in the city.

This would effectively, once again, present Hamas with an ultimatum to agree to a ceasefire deal or face the takeover of the rest of the enclave.

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