Israel has announced plans to give civilians in Gaza city until October 7 to evacuate before launching a full-scale military occupation of the area, as part of an effort to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of Israeli hostages.
The plan, approved by the Israeli security cabinet on Thursday night, instructs the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare for a southern evacuation of the city’s residents approximately one million people before the offensive begins. Although the directive applies initially to Gaza City, it is widely seen as a step toward full occupation of all remaining parts of the Gaza Strip not yet under Israeli control.
Meanwhile, evacuation deadline coincides with the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, which triggered the ongoing war. Israeli officials say the operation aims to disarm Hamas, rescue hostages, and establish a non-Hamas, non-Palestinian Authority civil administration in the territory.
Currently, Israel occupies around 75% of Gaza, but the majority of the population remains in the unoccupied southern areas.
The announcement has drawn widespread international condemnation as the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the move a dangerous escalation and scheduled an emergency UN Security Council meeting for Saturday. UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the planned offensive will only bring more bloodshed, and Germany announced it would suspend all arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza. The US Vice President JD Vance also acknowledged disagreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though he reiterated Washington’s alignment with Israel’s goals.
The humanitarian implications of evacuating one million people from northern Gaza within two months are enormous, and critics have called the plan unworkable and perilous.
While Netanyahu’s government maintains that a deeper military push is the only viable path to disarm Hamas and free remaining hostages, critics including the Hostage and Missing Families Forum accuse him of abandoning the captives to appease far-right members of his coalition who support resettling Gaza with Israeli civilians.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the plan exactly what Hamas wanted, and other political figures labelled it a disaster and a death sentence for hostages.
Even within the military, doubts persist. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, reportedly opposed to the strategy, has so far resisted pressure to resign. On Friday, he met with senior Southern Command officers to assess the situation and discuss preparations for the offensive.
Hamas responded by warning that any attempt to take Gaza City would effectively sacrifice the remaining hostages. “The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal Benjamin Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their captives,” the group said in a statement. “They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them.”
Recent Hamas-released videos showing hostages in emaciated conditions have further intensified the debate in Israel over how to proceed.
In the UK, the government condemned the planned escalation. A spokesperson for Number 10 said the move would not bring an end to the war or aid in hostage negotiations.
“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately,” the statement read.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on Sir Keir Starmer to support sanctions against Netanyahu, while Conservative Party members criticized Starmer’s broader Middle East policy as unworkable.
In Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Israeli strategy made it increasingly difficult to understand how the war aims disarming Hamas and freeing hostages could be achieved through continued escalation.
Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich remained unmoved by international criticism. He reaffirmed his belief that Gaza should be repopulated by Jewish settlers, referring to the 2005 disengagement from Gaza as a sin that should be corrected.
He was recently photographed near graffiti that read “Death to Arabs,” though he later distanced himself from the slogan.
