Israel has drawn up a plan to “reoccupy” a quarter of the Gaza Strip as part of its latest offensive, according to a new report from Axios, citing a briefing from an IDF official.
The report stated that the IDF will take control of a portion of the enclave, which is already considered to be occupied under international law, over the next two to three weeks as ground incursions begin to escalate.
Troops have remained in some parts of the Strip despite the agreement of a ceasefire in January, with the deal expiring before a full withdrawal could be negotiated.
Israeli ministers have been hinting at some form of territory annexation for weeks, but this is the first concrete confirmation of the details of any official policy.
The move is apparently intended to exert “maximum pressure” on Hamas to release its 59 remaining hostages, only 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.
However, Axios reported that the official also confirmed that more territory would be taken if no hostage returns were agreed in the near future.
Indeed, the occupation could reportedly be expanded to cover most of the Strip, with its two million residents displaced into a set “humanitarian zone”.
There was no time limit placed on the plan, with the potential for an indefinite occupation if Hamas refuses to give concessions.
The IDF has already issued evacuation orders for eastern Rafah and Gaza City, saying it will return to fighting in the areas with “great force". The two cities are, according to the army, hotbeds of terrorism but their capture would give Israel control of Gaza’s capital and the Rafah Crossing –the only major Gaza border post not already under Jerusalem’s jurisdiction.
According to Axios, some officials see a gradually widening occupation as key in facilitating the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians out of Gaza in line with US President Trump’s plan to relocate the population to redevelop the territory, which has received full throated support from Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
Indeed, a new military directorate has already been established within the IDF to help Gazans emigrate should they choose too.
Yet, while the Trump administration was quick to clarify that residents would subsequently be allowed back into the Strip, some segments of the Israeli right, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have advocated allowing Israelis to move in instead.
It comes after an earlier Axios report suggested that Hamas was struggling with deep internal divisions over fresh ceasefire proposals offered up by Egyptian mediators.
The row is said to come down to a split between group’s political leadership in Qatar, which favours the deal, and its military leadership in Gaza, which opposes it.
Mohammed Sinwar, who took over from his brother Yahya as Hamas’ top commander, is believed to be among the stiffest opponents of the plan.
