Israel Set to Occupy Gaza City, Forcing Mass Evacuation as Hunger Crisis Deepens

Israel has signed off on a military plan to seize control of Gaza City in what would be the most sweeping operation since the war began.

The move is expected to push vast numbers of Palestinians - potentially close to a million people - out of the city and into already overcrowded areas further south, even as Gaza faces extreme shortages of food, water, and medicine.

The strategy, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, is part of a broader agenda to remove Hamas from power, impose Israeli security control over the territory, and install a new civilian administration not tied to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. The plan also pledges to pursue the return of Israeli captives and the demilitarisation of Gaza.

Israeli media report that officials have avoided using the term "occupation" in public statements, preferring "takeover" to avoid triggering the legal responsibilities that come with formal occupation under international law. However, senior figures have privately admitted the intention is to occupy the area fully.

Under the plan, Israeli forces aim to evacuate Gaza City's civilians within roughly two months, then impose a siege before launching a ground assault to target Hamas members. Military build-up along the Gaza boundary has already been detected in satellite images, showing large numbers of tanks and troops in position.

Criticism From Across the Globe

China has called the move a "dangerous action" and urged an immediate ceasefire, saying Gaza is an inseparable part of Palestinian land. The UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the decision as "wrong" and urged Israel to reverse it. The United Nations has also called for the plan to be scrapped without delay.

Hamas: This Will Not Be a 'Walk in the Park'

Hamas has denounced the decision as a war crime and accused Israel of derailing prisoner exchange and ceasefire talks that were close to conclusion under Egyptian and Qatari mediation. The group warned that any expansion of military action would "come at a heavy cost to the occupation."

Raids in the West Bank

While preparing for the Gaza City operation, Israeli forces have launched new raids in the occupied West Bank, arresting several Palestinians in towns including Zeita, Nablus, and Jenin. Witnesses report that in some cases families were forced from their homes before arrests were made.

Humanitarian Collapse Intensifies

Gaza's population is already on the brink of starvation. Aid groups warn that another large-scale displacement will trigger uncontrollable outbreaks of disease and accelerate famine. "We have elders who cannot walk, and patients who cannot be moved," said Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network. "If this goes ahead, the humanitarian conditions will become catastrophic."

Since the war began on 7 October 2023, over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, including more than 18,000 children. Large parts of Gaza's infrastructure - from hospitals to water facilities - lie in ruins.

Stories From the Ground

In a Gaza City maternity ward, medical intern Nada Almadhoun described the heartbreak of delivering babies under fire and, in some cases, telling mothers their children will not survive. She recalled one young woman who lost her husband in an air strike just weeks after marriage and miscarried their first child soon after. "Her first child," Almadhoun said, "will be her last."

Israel insists the Gaza City takeover is essential for security. But for Palestinians, aid organisations, and much of the international community, it is another step into a worsening humanitarian disaster - one in which war, displacement, and hunger have become daily life.