Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is investigating a plan to cut off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an effort to starve out Hamas militants, a plan that, if implemented, could leave hundreds of thousands of Palestinians stranded without food or water. Are unwilling or unable to leave their home.
Israel has issued several evacuation orders to the North during the year-long war, the most recent of which was Sunday (October 13, 2024). The plan proposed to Mr Netanyahu and the Israeli parliament by a group of retired generals would ramp up the pressure, giving Palestinians a week to leave the northern third of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, before declaring it a closed military zone.
According to a copy of the plan provided, those who remain would be considered combatants – meaning military regulations would allow troops to kill them – and would be refused food, water, medicine and fuel. The Associated Press by its chief architect, who says the plan is the only way to break Hamas in the north and pressure it to release the remaining hostages.
The plan calls for Israel to retain control of the north indefinitely while dividing the Gaza Strip into two and attempting to form a new administration without Hamas.
Plan
No decision has been taken by the government to fully implement the so-called “Generals’ Plan” and it is unclear how strongly it is being considered.
Asked whether the evacuation orders in northern Gaza marked the first phase of the “generals’ plan”, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said, no.
“We have not received any such plan,” he said.
But an official with knowledge of the matter said some parts of the plan were already being implemented, without specifying which parts. A second official, who is Israeli, said Mr Netanyahu had “read and studied” the plan, “like many of the plans that reached him throughout the war”, but did not say whether any of it would be implemented. Was adopted. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan should not be discussed publicly.
On Sunday (October 13, 2024), Israel launched an offensive against Hamas fighters in the Jabaliya refugee camp, north of the city. According to the United Nations, the amount of aid reaching the North has declined significantly since October 1.
A US State Department spokesperson has said that Washington is against any plan that would lead to direct Israeli occupation of Gaza.
Human rights groups say the plan is likely to starve civilians and is against international law, which prohibits the use of food as a weapon and forced transfers. Allegations that Israel is deliberately limiting food to Gaza are central to a genocide case brought against it in the International Court of Justice, allegations Israel denies.
On Monday (October 14, 2024) a coalition of Israeli NGOs urged the international community to take action, noting that there are “alarming signs that the Israeli military is quietly beginning to implement the plan”.
“States have an obligation to prevent the crimes of starvation and forced transfer,” he wrote, warning that “continuing a ‘wait and see’ approach will enable Israel to destroy northern Gaza.”
So far, very few Palestinians have paid attention to the latest evacuation order. Some are elderly, sick or afraid to leave their homes, but many fear there is no safe place to go and they will never be allowed back. Israel has prevented those who fled earlier in the war from returning.
“All Gazans are scared of this plan,” said Jomana Elkhalili, a 26-year-old Palestinian aid worker for Oxfam who lives with her family in Gaza City.
“Still, they will not run away. They won’t make the same mistake again… We know it’s not a safe place there,” he said, referring to southern Gaza, where most of the population hides in depressing tent camps and airstrikes frequently hit shelters. “That’s why people in the North say it’s better to die than give up.”
The plan comes as Hamas has shown lasting power, firing rockets into Tel Aviv and regrouping in areas after Israeli troops withdrew and launching repeated attacks.
After a devastating year-long war with Hamas, Israel has far fewer ground troops in Gaza than it did a few months ago and in recent weeks has turned its attention to Hezbollah, launching an offensive into southern Lebanon. There is no sign of progress on a ceasefire on any front.
year long war
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive on the Strip, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
According to publicly available minutes, the generals’ plan was presented to Parliament last month by a group of retired generals and high-ranking officers. Since then, officials from the Prime Minister’s Office have called asking for more details, according to its chief architect, former head of the National Security Council, Giora Eiland.
Israeli media reported that Mr Netanyahu told a closed parliamentary defense committee session that he was considering the plan.
Mr Eland said the only way to stop Hamas and end the year-long war is to cut off its access to aid.
“They must either surrender or starve to death,” Mr. Eiland said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to kill everybody,” he said. “It would not be necessary. People will not be able to live there (north). The water will dry up.”
They believe the siege could force Hamas to release about 100 Israeli hostages held by the group since the October 7 attack that triggered the Israeli campaign. At least 30 hostages are presumed dead. Human rights groups are horrified
Tania Harries said, “I’m most concerned about how the plan says that if the population is given the opportunity to evacuate and they don’t, somehow they all turn into legitimate military targets, Which is simply not true.” Executive director of Geisha, an Israeli organization dedicated to protecting the right of Palestinians to move freely within Gaza.
Copy of plan shared AP says if the strategy is successful in northern Gaza, it could be replicated in other areas, including tent camps sheltering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the south.
Asked about the plan on Wednesday (October 9, 2024), US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US is “going to make it absolutely clear that it is not just the United States that will support any occupation of Gaza, Opposes any reduction in the size of Gaza.” , but this is the virtual unanimous opinion of the international community.
The north, including Gaza City, was the initial target of Israel’s ground attack at the beginning of the war, when it first ordered everyone there to leave. Since then entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble.
About 80 trucks carrying aid have entered through the crossing north of Gaza since October 1, up from about 60 trucks a day earlier, according to a UN website tracking deliveries. A senior UN official said a small shipment of fuel for hospitals had entered the north since October 1. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential information.
COGAT, the Israeli organization that facilitates aid crossings into Gaza, denied that crossings to the north had been closed, but did not respond when asked how many trucks had entered in recent days.
Only about 100 Palestinians have fled the north since Sunday (October 13, 2024), a UN official said.
“At least 400,000 people are stranded in the region,” Philip Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, wrote on Thursday (October 10, 2024). “With almost no basic supplies available, hunger is spreading.”
Two doctors in the far north – Mohammed Salha, director of al-Awda Hospital and Dr. Rana Soloh of Kamal Adwan Hospital – said troops had already cut off roads between Gaza City and areas in the north, making it difficult for people to flee. It is done. ,
“Northern Gaza is now divided into two parts,” Mr Soloh said. “There are checkpoints and inspections, and not everyone can cross easily.”
published – October 14, 2024 05:25 PM IST