Following the confirmation by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to control Gaza City. This decision has drawn condemnation from international organizations and has sparked protests within Israel itself. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities on Saturday evening, demanding a hostage agreement and a ceasefire before the planned military operation to occupy Gaza City commences.
The families of the hostages have called for a general strike, warning that the plan would be a death knell for their loved ones. The United Nations has cautioned that a full military occupation could have ‘devastating consequences’ for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The British Ambassador to Israel has stated that it would be ‘a very big mistake’.
These protests represent one of the largest demonstrations in recent months. The military also expressed objections to the plan to occupy Gaza, citing concerns that it would endanger the hostages, pose unnecessary risks to soldiers, and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Now, the public is openly opposing the decision and taking to the streets.
In a press briefing prior to the rallies on Saturday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated, ‘A red flag is waving over the government’s decision to sacrifice our loved ones.’ The forum urged decision-makers to ‘reach a comprehensive hostage agreement, stop the war, bring back our loved ones, their time is up.’
The plan outlines five objectives: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, taking security control of the area, and establishing an alternative civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
The Israeli military said, ‘The Israeli Defense Forces will prepare to control Gaza City while providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the war zones.’
