Israel's plan calls for forced displacement of Palestinians by October 7

The Israeli government's approved plan for the occupation of Gaza City, in the northern part of the territory, calls for the forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians by October 7, the two-year anniversary of the conflict with Hamas , if it is not ended by then. It was on this symbolic date that Hamas terrorists carried out a massive attack on Israelis in 2023 , triggering the war .

The proposal was approved by the security cabinet this Friday (8), still Thursday night in Brazil, despite criticism inside and outside Israel . Hours before, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu defended that Israeli forces take control of the entireGaza Strip .

The emphasis on a single city therefore suggests that the operation will be gradual, beginning in that region. According to Israeli public radio Kan, the plan will be implemented in stages: in the first stage, authorities plan to evacuate Gaza City's residents and move them to refugee camps within two months. Troops will then surround the area before operating internally.

The move is expected to further reduce the area in which Gaza's population of approximately 2 million is permitted to remain. About 1 million people are currently in Gaza City, according to The Times of Israel. Israeli authorities have not disclosed which refugee camps they intend to transfer the civilians to.

The operation, according to Tel Aviv , will also be accompanied by the provision of humanitarian aid to the population outside the combat zones.

In addition to the offensive, most cabinet members supported a list of five demands that Israel intends to impose in exchange for an end to the war with Hamas: the disarmament of the terrorist faction; the return of all 50 hostages still in captivity (of which 20 are believed to be alive); the demilitarization of Gaza; that Tel Aviv maintain security control over the territory; and the creation of an alternative civilian government without the participation of Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which governs part of the West Bank.

Israel currently controls or operates militarily in about 75% of the Gaza Strip. Some areas have been relatively preserved until now because authorities believe that actions in these areas would put the lives of hostages still held captive at risk.

The plan sparked reactions worldwide. The most emphatic of these came from German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz, who announced that the country would suspend the export of military equipment to Israel. The release of Israeli hostages and negotiations for a ceasefire are Berlin's top priorities, the prime minister said in a statement.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting next Sunday to discuss the plan. The information was confirmed by diplomatic officials to the AFP news agency.

According to the Palestinian representative to the UN, Ryad Mansour, the request came from several countries in reaction to the Israeli decision. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "gravely alarmed" by the plan, which he said represents a "dangerous escalation" and could worsen "the already catastrophic consequences" for millions of Palestinians living in Gaza.