Israel’s security cabinet has signed off on a plan to take control of Gaza City, a move that signals an expansion of military operations in the war-torn enclave and that is already facing sharp criticism from abroad and at home.
Germany, one of Israel’s closest European partners, said it will stop exporting weapons that could be used in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision disappointing during a call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday. Britain and other European allies also urged Israel to reconsider the move.
The nearly two-year-old war began after Hamas carried out a deadly attack in 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have taken control of most of Gaza. Military officials estimate that seizing Gaza City would push that control to about 85% of the territory.
Inside Israel, the plan isn’t uniting the country; it’s tearing it apart. Families of the 50 remaining hostages and opposition leaders are sounding the alarm, convinced the decision puts the captives in even greater danger.
“It’s a disaster,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid, adding that it ignored warnings from security officials. He charged that far-right ministers in the coalition were bulldozing ahead with a total takeover, regardless of who gets hurt.
Danny Bukovsky, a hotel owner in Tel Aviv, said moving into Gaza City now was “a death sentence” for the hostages. The Hostages Families Forum accused the government of choosing “another march of recklessness” over negotiations.
Netanyahu has insisted that Hamas must be dismantled before the war can end. In an interview with Fox News this week, he said Israel did not intend to keep the Gaza Strip permanently but wanted to create a security perimeter and hand the territory over to Arab forces.
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The announcement from his office on Friday did not clarify whether the military would try to take all of Gaza. Still, the military says Gaza City holds strategic importance. “It’s really the center of government,” retired brigadier general Amir Avivi said. “The fall of Gaza City is pretty much the fall of Hamas.”
According to Israeli media, about 900,000 people now live in Gaza City, many displaced from elsewhere. For some, options are running out. “Where should we go? Do we throw ourselves in the sea?” said Maghzouza Saada, a displaced resident from the north.
The humanitarian toll and destruction have drawn increasing criticism from foreign governments. The European Commission president urged Israel to reverse course, while Saudi Arabia condemned any move to occupy Gaza and linked normalization of relations to the creation of a Palestinian state.
The United States is being a lot more careful about all this. You’ve got people like former ambassador Mike Huckabee telling reporters that everyone’s putting the heat on Israel when it should be on Hamas. He says that’s basically what Trump believes, too—that Hamas has to give up its weapons and lose power for good.
You know, those talks to get a ceasefire and free more hostages completely fell apart back in July. And if you look at the polls in Israel, most people just want a deal to end the war and get everyone back. But it looks like the government is just sticking to its military plan, and there’s really no sign that anyone is even talking about a peaceful solution anymore.
