The agency quoted unnamed informed official sources as saying that Netanyahu presented what was described as a "soft and gradual plan" during a meeting considered among the most sensitive since the start of the war, which was intended to discuss the future of military operations in the Gaza Strip.
According to the sources, the plan stipulates that "the Israeli army will begin moving into areas it has not previously entered, with the aim of seizing control of Hamas camps in the central Gaza Strip and Gaza City," despite warnings from Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir against such a move.
According to Netanyahu's proposal, the plan would begin with the displacement of Gaza City's Palestinians southward, followed by the encirclement of the city, followed by additional incursions into population centers.
During the meeting, several ministers expressed their rejection of any solution that did not include the occupation of the entire Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Shas party leader Aryeh Deri (a cabinet member and minister without portfolio) warned against the continuation of the war, stating that Netanyahu's plan "causes ongoing political damage and endangers the lives of prisoners," calling for "heeding the army's assessments."
"Continued genocide"
In contrast, Hamas asserted on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to reoccupy the Gaza Strip is a continuation of the policy of genocide and displacement and a reversal of the negotiating process. Hamas warned that expanding the aggression will not be a walk in the park.
Hamas said in a statement: "What the war criminal Netanyahu is planning is to continue his approach of genocide and displacement, by committing more crimes against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip." It stressed that "Netanyahu's plans to expand the aggression confirm that he seeks to get rid of his prisoners and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agendas."
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Tel Aviv estimates that there are 50 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. More than 10,800 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
The movement stressed that "Gaza will remain resistant to the occupation and attempts to impose guardianship over it," warning that "expanding the aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park, and the price will be heavy and costly for the occupation and its Nazi army."
Hamas called on Arab and Islamic countries and the international community to "condemn and reject these dangerous statements, take urgent action to halt the aggression and end the occupation, enable our people to exercise their right to self-determination, and hold the enemy's leaders accountable for their ongoing crimes against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."
Israel occupied the Gaza Strip for 38 years, between 1967 and 2005. It is currently home to approximately 2.4 million Palestinians and has been under siege by Tel Aviv for 18 years.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide left 61,258 Palestinians dead and 152,045 injured, most of them children and women. More than 9,000 people were missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that claimed the lives of many.
