Netanyahu approves plan for Gaza City: evacuation by 7 October

Netahyahu specified that "the plan is to transfer the Strip to a body that will exercise control over it on a temporary basis". The premier was speaking at a press conference with Indian journalists after a meeting with the Indian ambassador to Israel, J. P. Singh. The main objectives of the war, he added in response to a question from a journalist from CNN-News18, remain 'the complete destruction of Hamas and the return of all Israeli hostages'. The war', he also said, according to Haaretz reports, 'could end quickly, even tomorrow, if Hamas lays down its weapons and releases the hostages unconditionally'.

Meanwhile, Hamas stated that "the expansion of aggression against our people will not be a walk in the park: the price will be high and painful. Netanyahu's words reveal the true motivations behind his withdrawal from the last round of negotiations, despite the fact that we were close to a final agreement. His plans to expand the aggression show that he aims to get rid of the hostages and sacrifice them for his own personal interests."

During the Israeli security cabinet, the chief of staff of the Israeli army (IDF), Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, warned the ministers present that "the lives of the hostages will be in danger" if Israel goes ahead with such a plan. This was reported by Channel 12. "We have no way of guaranteeing that we will not harm them," he warned. Zamir also expressed broader concerns about expanding military operations, warning that it would come at the cost of soldiers' lives, deplete military resources, and lead to serious humanitarian and health problems. According to Channel 12, government ministers strongly criticised Zamir's statements, claiming that the operation called 'Chariots of Gideon' failed to achieve its stated objectives. Zamir retorted, claiming that the operation succeeded in creating the necessary conditions for the rescue of the remaining hostages.

"The operation in Gaza is not irreversible. We are ready to consider stopping it if Hamas accepts Israel's conditions", Netanyahu said during the meeting, according to rumours reported by Channel 12 news. Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, on the other hand, said: "We must go all the way".

While the security cabinet discussed the occupation of the Gaza Strip, senior officials of the Israeli negotiating team sent a positive message to the political leadership that the window for an agreement on the release of the hostages could reopen soon. "Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are putting pressure on Hamas to return to the negotiating table for a conclusion. This could happen next week, an element that must be considered in the decision-making process. Be careful not to close the possibility of a hostage deal," the officials said.

On Thursday, the families of the hostages launched an appeal calling for a halt to what they call the "catastrophic decision" to occupy the Gaza Strip, and instead promote a comprehensive agreement for the return of their loved ones and an immediate end to the war. "Those we love are in immediate danger: some risk their lives, others to disappear forever in the land of Gaza. The State of Israel is also in danger: we risk losing our moral values and mutual responsibility. Join us before it is too late,' they declared.

In addition, hundreds of people are demonstrating in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem, where the security cabinet meeting is taking place, against the continuation of the war in the Gaza Strip. Protesters chant slogans such as 'accept the agreement, end the war' and 'military pressure kills hostages'.

Meanwhile, 23 civilians were killed and wounded in Gaza by Israeli forces from midnight until Thursday morning. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Four people, including two girls, were killed in an airstrike on a flat near the Nuseirat refugee settlement in the central part of the Strip. Another four people were killed and several wounded in another airstrike on a home belonging to the Al-Hadeedi family in the Al-Shati refugee chiefdom, west of Gaza City. An airstrike killed three people from the Zaqout family north of Gaza City, in the Sheikh Radwan area.

In Khan Yunis, in the south, a man, his wife and their son were killed by an air attack on their home. A girl was also killed by aircraft, which targeted a tent in Dream Hall, west of the town. In another tent, a drone killed two women. Five civilians looking for food were killed in the night by the Israeli army in the town of Deir al-Balah, in the centre of the Strip. According to the Palestinian authorities, the death toll of the war reached 61,158 Palestinians killed and 151,442 wounded, including 1,655 children. The number of wounded among those seeking aid and food rose to 11,800. There were 193 starving deaths, including 96 children.

In the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, north of Gaza City,an Israeli airstrike on a flat killed at least three people, writes the Qatari broadcaster. A drone strike on a tent housing displaced Palestinians west of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, killed at least two women. An Israeli aircraft attacked a group of Palestinians in al-Ma'askar, west of Khan Younis, injuring several people.

Nine people were killed and others wounded while waiting for humanitarian aid north of Rafah and in the centre of the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, pointing out that five people were killed near the Rafah centres in the south of the enclave, while four others died in the centre of the Strip.

For its part, the Israeli army, without providing specific details on these incidents, stated in a statement that it was continuing its operations against 'terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip'.

"IDF troops are continuing their operations in the Khan Younis area. Over the past 24 hours, terrorists who posed a threat to the soldiers have been eliminated from the ground and air," the statement read, adding that Israeli forces are also "continuing to locate and dismantle surface and underground infrastructure in the north and south.

According to several Israeli media reports, including Ynet and public broadcaster Kan, the military campaign is expected to last between four and five months and involve four or five divisions of the IDF. The plan will cause the displacement of about one million Palestinians. It would begin with the conquest of Gaza City and the central part of the Strip, pushing about half of the enclave's population south into the humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi.

The plan, according to Israeli media reports, would initially focus on capturing Gaza City and expanding aid distribution centres in coordination with the United States. According to Channel 12 news, in the first phase, Israel would issue an evacuation notice to the residents of Gaza City, estimated at around 1 million people, and then launch the military offensive in the second phase, during which US President Donald Trump is expected to deliver a speech announcing the acceleration of humanitarian aid in coordination with Israel.

An alternative plan on the table, according to broadcaster Kan, would be to encircle Gaza City and central Gaza, block aid to those areas, and launch targeted raids, rather than a complete conquest. Although there are voices in the Israeli government opposed to the occupation of Gaza, such as that of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, analysts expect a majority of the cabinet to come out in favour of the plan, reports Times of Israel.

During the 6pm security cabinet meeting on the plan for the occupation of Gaza, Chief of Staff Zamir is expected to warn of risks, "especially without a clear decision on what comes next, warning that the situation is likely to become more complicated". According to rumours in recent days Zamir has told staff members that 'the conquest of the Strip will drag Israel into a black hole'. The generals' plan includes: the encirclement of Gaza city and the central camps to isolate the territory and confine the fighting. Then: massive fire, targeted troop entries, avoiding traps.

Israeli police arrested at least 10 protesters as thousands gathered in Tel Aviv this evening to demand an agreement on hostage-taking. Haaretz reports. The protesters claimed that two of the arrested demonstrators were minors.

"The tragedy in Gaza spares no one, we see it every day. And once again we find ourselves mourning a Palestinian Red Crescent colleague. Ashraf Suleiman Eid Youssef, a staff member of the Al-Saraya Field Hospital in Gaza City, was killed during an attack on the population waiting for aid in the Kisoufim region. We cannot bear the sadness and regret at the loss of another rescuer, the 53rd life cut short among Prcs workers. We are tired of seeing innocent civilians die every day, and those who, in this land battered by endless conflict, continue to support a population at the end of its tether. We are tired of seeing every day that International Humanitarian Law is not respected. But this will not silence us. We will never stop reminding the international community that all wars have rules and must be respected, that humanitarian workers as well as the civilian population and health workers are not a target'. With these words, Rosario Valastro, President of the Italian Red Cross, comments on the death of the Prcs worker in Gaza. "We can never get used to all this suffering. Let no one think,' he concluded, 'that acts like this are normal or acceptable in a conflict'.

"The expansion of aggression against our people will not be a walk in the park: the price will be high and painful," Hamas said as the security cabinet is being held to decide on the plan to take over Gaza. Ynet reports. "Netanyahu's words reveal the true motivations behind his withdrawal from the last round of negotiations, despite being close to a final agreement. His plans to expand the aggression show that he aims to get rid of the hostages and sacrifice them for his own personal interests. Expanding the aggression against our people will not be a walk in the park," Hamas added.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary announced that the government in Beirut has approved the objectives of the American proposal to promote the gradual disarmament of Hezbollah and the immediate cessation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz writes this on its online site. The Lebanese government approved the principle of concentrating weapons in the hands of the Lebanese National Army alone and deploying the military in South Lebanon. Hezbollah members walked out of the government meeting. "We tried to convince our colleagues to stay, but they chose to leave the meeting."