When asked if the evacuation orders in northern Gaza marked the first stages of the “Generals’ Plan,” Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said no.
But one official with knowledge of the matter said parts of the plan are already being implemented, without specifying which parts.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson has said Washington is against any plan that would bring direct Israeli occupation in Gaza.
“All Gazans are afraid of the plan,” said Jomana Elkhalili, a 26-year-old Palestinian aid worker for Oxfam living in Gaza City with her family.
“North Gaza is now divided into two parts,” Soloh said.
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a proposal to cut off humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip in an effort to starve Hamas militants. Should this proposal be carried out, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are unable or unwilling to flee their homes could become trapped without food or water.
Throughout the year-long conflict, Israel has repeatedly ordered people to evacuate to the north; the most recent order was given on Sunday. Retired generals presented a plan to Netanyahu and the Israeli parliament that would greatly increase pressure on the Palestinians. It would give them one week to evacuate Gaza City and the northern third of the Gaza Strip before it is declared a closed military zone.
A copy of the plan provided to The Associated Press by its chief architect states that those who remain would be considered combatants, meaning that military regulations would allow troops to kill them. The architect also claims that the plan is the only way to break Hamas in the north and put pressure on it to release the remaining hostages.
The plan divides the Gaza Strip in two and calls for Israel to keep control of the north for an indefinite period of time in an effort to establish a new government free of Hamas.
The extent to which the so-called “Generals’ Plan” is being seriously considered is unknown, and the government has not decided to implement it in its entirety.
Regarding whether the directives for evacuation in the northern part of Gaza signified the commencement of the “Generals’ Plan,” Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. No, Nadav Shoshani responded.
“That kind of plan is not what we have received,” he continued.
However, without naming specifics, an official with knowledge of the situation claimed that some aspects of the plan were already in action. Although he did not specify whether any of the plan had been implemented, a second Israeli official claimed that Netanyahu “had read and studied” it, “like many plans that have reached him throughout the war.”. Due to the plan’s intended confidentiality, the officials only spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Israel began an attack on Hamas fighters on Sunday in the north of the city at the Jabaliya refugee camp. Since September, no trucks carrying food, water, or medication have reached the north. thirty, as per the U. Not N. and the webpage of the military organization in Israel in charge of managing crossings for humanitarian aid.
The USA. s. According to a spokesman for the State Department, Washington opposes any proposal that would result in an Israeli occupation of Gaza.
Human rights organizations claim that the plan violates international law, which forbids the use of food as a weapon and the forced transfer of food, and that it will probably starve civilians. Israel disputes the allegations that it is purposely restricting food supplies to Gaza, which are at the heart of the genocide case Israel faces before the International Court of Justice.
Very few Palestinians have followed the most recent evacuation order thus far. Many fear they will never be allowed to return, but some are too old, too sick, or too scared to leave their homes. Israel stopped earlier in the war those who had fled from coming back.
All Gazans, according to Jomana Elkhalili, a 26-year-old Palestinian who works for Oxfam and lives in Gaza City with her family, are terrified of the plan.
They still won’t give up. Dot promises that they won’t repeat their error. We are aware that the area is unsafe,” she remarked, referring to the southern part of Gaza, where the majority of people live in gloomy tent camps and are frequently targeted by airstrikes. “For this reason, people in the north believe that it is preferable to pass away than to depart. “.
The strategy came about as a result of Hamas’s ability to maintain power. It has launched rockets into Tel Aviv, regrouped in places where Israeli troops have left, and launched numerous offensives.
Israel now has far fewer ground troops in Gaza than it did a few months ago after a year of devastating war with Hamas. In recent weeks, Israel has focused on Hezbollah and launched an invasion of southern Lebanon. No progress has been made on either front toward a cease-fire.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that over 42,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s offensive on the strip. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, but rather notes that over half of the dead are women and children.
Publicly accessible minutes state that a group of retired generals and senior officers presented the Generals’ Plan to the parliament last month. According to its chief architect, Giora Eiland, a former head of the National Security Council, since then, officials from the prime minister’s office have called to request more details.
In a closed-door meeting with the parliamentary defense committee, Netanyahu reportedly told the Israeli media that he was thinking about the idea.
Blocking Hamas’s access to aid, according to Eiland, is the only way to defeat the organization and end the conflict that has lasted a full year.
“They’ll have to give up or go hungry,” Eiland declared. He clarified, “It doesn’t mean that we’re going to kill every person.”. “It won’t be required. The north won’t be habitable by humans. The water will become arid. “.
He thinks that at least 100 Israeli hostages that Hamas has been holding since October could be freed if the siege continues. the seventh attack that started Israel’s campaign. Presumptive death counts at least thirty of the hostages.
Human rights organizations are horrified.
The plan’s apparent suggestion that if the populace is given the opportunity to leave and they choose not to, then somehow they all become legitimate military targets—which is completely untrue—is what worries Tania Hary, the executive director of Gisha, an Israeli group that works to defend Palestinians’ freedom of movement within Gaza.
According to the plan copy that was provided to the AP, if the northern Gaza strategy proves to be effective, it may be extended to other parts of the Gaza Strip, such as the tent camps that provide refuge to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians further south.
Asked Wednesday regarding the plan, U. S. Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the State Department, stated the U. s. was going to “make absolutely clear that the viewpoint of the international community is virtually unanimous in opposing any occupation of Gaza or reduction in its size, not just the United States.”. “.
When Israel first issued orders for everyone to evacuate the north early in the war, that included Gaza City, it was aiming its ground offensive there. Since then, entire neighborhoods have crumbled to the ground.
An older U.S. Not N. According to officials, since September, no aid has reached the north save for a single, tiny shipment of fuel for hospitals. 30, whether via borders with southern Gaza or with Israel. The official discussed private information while speaking under anonymity.
When asked how many trucks had entered in the last few days, COGAT, the Israeli organization that facilitates aid crossings into Gaza, remained silent. However, it denied that crossings to the north had been closed.
The USA. Not N. According to an official, since Sunday, only roughly 100 Palestinians have left the north.
“There are at least 400,000 people stranded in the region,” stated Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.S. N. ‘s organization for Palestinian refugees, posted on Thursday on X. Hunger is growing since there are hardly any basic supplies left. “.
Roads connecting Gaza City to areas further north have already been blocked by troops, making it harder for people to escape, according to two medical professionals in the far north, Dr. Rana Soloh at Kamal Adwan Hospital and Mohammed Salha, director of al-Awda Hospital.
There are now two sections to North Gaza, according to Soloh. Not everyone can pass through easily because of checkpoints and inspections. “.
