Reports Suggest Israel to Implement 'General Plan' to Starve Hamas Through Blockade
According to an Associated Press report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is allegedly set to implement the "Generals' Plan," which aims to blockade northern Gaza and cut off humanitarian aid in order to "starve Hamas militants." The plan includes the establishment of a new government in northern Gaza, effectively dividing the region.
Public meeting records indicate that a group of retired Israeli generals and senior officials presented the "Generals' Plan" to Netanyahu and the Knesset in September. The plan calls for the evacuation of one-third of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, within a week. Afterward, a military exclusion zone would be declared, and anyone remaining in the area would be considered a combatant, allowing the Israeli military to conduct operations in northern Gaza and deny access to food, water, medicine, and fuel.
Additionally, the plan seeks to have Israel maintain indefinite control over northern Gaza, with the goal of establishing a new government without Hamas, dividing Gaza in two. Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security advisor and the chief architect of the plan, believes that the only way to stop Hamas and end the Israel-Hamas conflict is to cut off their access to aid: "They must either surrender or starve. This doesn't necessarily mean killing everyone." He also stated that the operation might pressure Hamas to release around 100 hostages, although it is suspected that 30 have already died.
Human rights organizations warn that the plan could leave hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are unwilling or unable to evacuate without food or water, violating international law, which prohibits the use of food as a weapon and forced evacuations. A U.S. State Department spokesperson expressed opposition to any Israeli plan for the direct occupation of Gaza.
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