Four questions about the Israeli army's operation to take control of Gaza City

The Israeli army is tightening its grip on Gaza City, one of the most populated areas of the Palestinian enclave. The first operations were launched on Thursday, August 21. Benjamin Netanyahu's plan, approved by the security cabinet in early August, aims to take control of the municipality, considered the last major Hamas stronghold, in a territory devastated by months of strikes and threatened by widespread famine. Franceinfo answers four questions after the start of these maneuvers, criticized by the international community.

What form is the offensive on Gaza City taking?

Defense Minister Israel Katz "approved " the attack plan on Wednesday and ordered the recall of 60,000 additional reservists. "We have begun preliminary operations for the attack. Our forces are on the outskirts of the city. We will create the conditions to bring back the hostages," Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin said Wednesday. Benjamin Netanyahu called for "the deadline for seizing the last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas to be shortened," without giving a date, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office.

According to initial reports from the scene, many residents have left the outlying neighborhood of Zeitoun, in the east of the city, which has been under intense bombardment. The Israeli army "destroyed most of the buildings and forced thousands of people to flee," Anis Dalloul, 64, who took refuge in another area on Sunday, told AFP by telephone. "We are afraid that [the army] will occupy the city and that we will be displaced again." Mostafa Qazaat, head of the Gaza municipality's emergency committee, confirmed that "a large number" of residents from the north of the city and other eastern neighborhoods were heading west and further south.

What are Israel's stated objectives?

When the plan was presented in early August, Benjamin Netanyahu stated his goal of "defeating Hamas," which is in power in the Palestinian enclave and responsible for the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023. The Israeli army believes that fighters from the Islamist movement Hamas are still hiding in Gaza City . The plan also provides for the distribution of "humanitarian aid to the civilian population," under conditions that are still unclear.

Gaza has not been occupied by the IDF so far, due to the likely presence of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The Jewish state "has no other choice to finish the job," Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, August 17, calling the operation "the best way to end the war."

More broadly, the Israeli security cabinet approved "five principles for concluding the war" in early August, which pave the way for a large-scale operation to take security control of the entire Palestinian enclave. The objectives mentioned are "the disarmament of Hamas; the return of all hostages – alive and dead; the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip; Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip," as well as "the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority."

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 86.3% of the territory is militarized by Israel and subject to evacuation orders. The unoccupied areas are also the most populated: the cities of Khan Younis and Gaza, as well as the Deir al-Balah refugee camp in the center of the territory.

Where are the ceasefire negotiations?

Hamas announced Monday that it had accepted a new proposal from the mediators (Egypt, Qatar, and the United States) for a sixty-day truce. The initial plan calls for the release of ten live hostages and the remains of 18 deceased hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and the entry of more humanitarian aid, according to sources from Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad. The second phase is expected to result in the release of the remaining captives within the truce period, during which negotiations are to be held for a permanent ceasefire. The Netanyahu government has not yet responded.

Hamas says the start of the Israeli operation in Gaza City shows " a blatant disregard for the efforts of the mediators" on the part of the Jewish state. The Islamist movement points to the Prime Minister as "the real obstacle to any agreement," assuring that "he does not care about the lives of the Israeli hostages."

The Gaza Civil Defense reported Wednesday that 21 Palestinians were killed by IDF strikes and gunfire. Since October 7, 2024, the Israeli response has left 62,122 dead in the enclave, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas Health Ministry, deemed reliable by the UN. The territory is also threatened by widespread famine, according to the UN. Twenty-six countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Japan, called on Israel on August 12 to "remove all obstacles that prevent essential humanitarian actors from intervening" in the area. Israel, which rejects accusations of deliberate starvation, says it is allowing more aid to enter.

What are the reactions around the world to the Israeli plan?

Once again, the Netanyahu government is being criticized by a large part of the international community. "The military offensive on Gaza that Israel is preparing can only lead to a real disaster for both peoples and will drag the region into a permanent war," Emmanuel Macron denounced on Wednesday on X. "I have just spoken with the King of Jordan Abdullah II and then with the Egyptian President Sisi. We share the same conviction," he added.