A Defining Moment for Israel and the Global Community
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has proposed a plan that could redefine the future of Gaza. The proposal involves the total reoccupation of the 365 square kilometers (141 square miles) of territory and the mass evacuation of its population in what he calls a “takeover.” This move not only challenges Israel’s internal democracy but also risks placing the nation near the top of pariah nations on the global stage.
This is a pivotal moment that could further strain the relationship between Europe and America. Reports suggest that Donald Trump was briefed in advance about the Gaza plan. While Israel’s military and intelligence community are aware of the potential trap set by Hamas, they are following Netanyahu’s directives. Hamas opposes any two-state solution, as it seeks the complete disappearance of the Jewish state. By extending its occupation of Gaza, Israel ensures that a two-state solution becomes impossible.
Netanyahu’s focus seems to be on his short-term tactical survival rather than the long-term security of the country. He is willing to risk Israel’s future to secure his position. The prime minister does not seem concerned about the implications of rolling tanks into Gaza City, especially after the events of October 7, 2023, which have led to the evacuation of all civilians. This action would likely end Israel’s claims to being a democracy. Furthermore, the international backlash from Netanyahu’s decision to prolong the conflict may lead to sanctions by the end of the year.
It is challenging to see how Israel can avoid the outrage generated by Netanyahu’s actions, given the worldwide decline in support for Israel’s actions in Gaza so far. Germany, which has been a defender of Netanyahu and Israel’s policies, has taken steps to ban the sale of weapons that could be used in Gaza. This move could affect export licenses for military equipment valued at €485 million ($564 million) granted between October 7, 2023, and May 13, 2025.
European economic sanctions and travel bans on Israelis are expected to follow as the killing of Gazans continues. Australia has condemned Netanyahu’s decision, and South Africa is leading efforts to prosecute Israelis for alleged war crimes.
According to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the US provided Israel with $22.8 billion (£16.8 billion) in military aid during the first year of its Gaza campaign. A November 2024 report by the US Council on Foreign Relations noted that Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid since its founding, receiving about $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance.
In essence, Israel cannot proceed with its new plans in Gaza without American financial support and military equipment. For now, the US appears ready to continue supplying both, though this comes with the risk of domestic political unrest. A July Gallup poll found that 60% of Americans now disapprove of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza—this was before the latest escalation.
Despite the horror felt globally by Netanyahu’s actions, the Trump administration has shown support. It is reported that the administration is planning to assist with the next phase of the operation through “humanitarian” efforts aimed at caring for Gaza’s population.
The current US-Israeli initiative, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has been described as an unmitigated catastrophe. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has condemned the situation, alleging “orchestrated killings” by Israeli forces and US mercenaries. MSF’s general director, Raquel Ayora, stated that children were shot while reaching for food, people were crushed or suffocated in stampedes, and entire crowds were gunned down at distribution points. She described the GHF distribution sites as a “laboratory of cruelty.”
The GHF denied these allegations, calling them “false and disgraceful,” and accused the Hamas-linked Gaza Health Ministry of orchestrating a disinformation campaign. However, there is no denying the scale of the horrors in Gaza, and Israel’s decision to increase its military efforts will likely intensify the bloodshed and entrench its occupation.
As human beings are forced into more concentrated camps, Israel’s drift toward authoritarianism accelerates. Netanyahu has already undermined the country’s judicial independence with legislation subordinating it to politicians. Recently, he fired the attorney general who was overseeing the prosecution against him.
Israel will need to mobilize vast numbers of conscripts and reservists for a military operation that top officers believe is a dangerous and ill-advised plan. IDF army chief of staff Eyal Zamir reportedly resorted to shouting in the security cabinet and warned that the reoccupation plan would cause the deaths of all hostages.
Reservists are increasingly refusing to fight in Gaza. Although Israel’s media often hides the truth about what is happening in the enclave from the public, the reality of the situation is starting to filter back. Many soldiers are exhausted by what now looks like Netanyahu’s forever war.
Years of combat will be needed before Israel can establish anything like “control” over Gaza. Tens of thousands of troops will be required to run checkpoints and police whatever remains of the population there.
Despite these challenges, Netanyahu’s security cabinet agreed to the plan after an all-night session. Zamir argued for a plan to encircle Hamas and release the remaining 20 or so hostages still alive after being captured 22 months ago.
Netanyahu’s plan is based on five principles: disarm Hamas, save the hostages, demilitarize Gaza entirely, maintain Israeli security control over the whole enclave, and then impose a civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. The truth is that this is a plan to reoccupy Gaza just as permanently as the temporary occupation of the West Bank after the 1967 six-day war has lasted until today.
The West Bank, where Palestinians have been encouraged to think they would one day establish a state, has been divided into urban areas under the Palestinian Authority, which gives non-Jews limited self-government. The rest of the land is being occupied by Jewish-only settlements. This system resembles the grand apartheid pioneered by South Africa’s white racist postwar governments.
Members of Netanyahu’s cabinet want to see Gaza permanently resettled by Israelis. At least a million of Gaza’s 2.1 million people will be forced to move in the first phase of this reoccupation campaign. This is a population that the UN says is already on the verge of famine.
Netanyahu is assuming that American taxpayers are willing to pay for this outcome.