Israeli decision-makers plan to continue the war in Gaza within four to six weeks with overwhelming force, sending tens of thousands of soldiers to conquer the entire strip in a single coordinated offensive against Hamas.
The new Chief of General Staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, following the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, has begun developing the plan, according to several current and former Israeli officials familiar with the high-level talks.
According to that plan, Israel will deploy more troops in Gaza than it has so far in the war – over 50.000 – before relocating Gaza’s civilian population to humanitarian zones and launching a relentless ground campaign against Hamas.
“We will see four to five divisions simultaneously attacking in the north, center, and south, to capture every area and clear out the enemy,” said Hezi Nehama, a former Israeli colonel who co-authored the Generals’ Plan, an influential proposal for a phased siege of Gaza.
He added that it will look “different from what we have seen so far in the war.”
“It will be decisive,” said Amir Avivi, a former Israeli brigadier general who has advised the Israeli government and army during the war. “Israel will use every tool it has to conquer Gaza and eradicate Hamas.”
The plan also includes reducing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, sources say.
“There will be no aid outside the humanitarian zones,” said Kobi Michael, former head of the Palestine department at Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs and previously a senior Israeli military intelligence official. “This will prevent Hamas from continuing to steal all humanitarian aid and increase pressure on the group through the local population.”
Hamas is also preparing
On Sunday, the Israeli army raised the alert level and readiness along the Gaza border, and Hamas has reportedly also begun preparing for the resumption of fighting. Zamir, the new Chief of General Staff, estimates that the plan, which he will present to Netanyahu and Katz after taking office, can be completed within six months or less, according to Nehama.
Israel’s plan to continue the war comes after a series of military and diplomatic successes that leave the Israeli state less constrained than at any point in the past 17 months of war.
Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire with Israel in November, easing pressure on Israel’s overstretched army.
“We always had divisions in the north, and now we no longer need them in the north because Hezbollah is not a threat. So, we can transfer those divisions all at once to Gaza, and that is very important,” said Nehama.
In January, Donald Trump assumed the presidency and began reversing the efforts of former President Joe Biden to restrain Israel and appease its genocidal enemies. Trump aligned more firmly with Israel against Hezbollah and Iran and removed Biden’s restrictions on United States (U.S.) military aid to the Jewish state. In Gaza, meanwhile, Trump took an even harder line than Netanyahu, pressing the prime minister to resume the war with Hamas and relocate Gaza’s residents abroad.
During Netanyahu’s visit to the White House earlier this month, Trump told the prime minister to “do whatever it takes” to defeat Hamas, according to an Israeli official who described the meeting on condition of anonymity. However, the same official said Trump gave Netanyahu only 150 days to get the job done.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has replaced several senior security officials who resisted deeper engagement in Gaza, including former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and outgoing Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, with generals considered more inclined to an aggressive approach.
An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said ministers at recent cabinet meetings “completely rejected” Halevi’s approach to Gaza and accused him of “doing everything he could to prevent victory in the war.”
“Behind the scenes, there are discussions with Zamir, which are much more constructive. We hope to see him take control of the army and implement his plans,” the official stated.
Fulfilling Trump’s plan
At a meeting earlier this month with Netanyahu, Katz, and Yaron Finkelman, head of Israel’s Southern Command, Zamir rejected Halevi’s latest proposal for the war in Gaza as too soft, according to Nehama and another former Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The new Chief of General Staff was not satisfied with what he heard,” said Nehama. “He told the prime minister and the defense minister that he would present them with another plan, much more aggressive and decisive, with far more troops involved.”
In recent days, Israeli decision-makers have vaguely hinted at Zamir’s plan in public statements.
“We are ready to return to intense fighting at any moment. Operational plans are ready,” Netanyahu said at a graduation ceremony for Israeli military cadets on Sunday. “All our hostages, without exception, will return home. Hamas will not rule Gaza. Gaza will be demilitarized, and its fighting forces dismantled.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hinted at an event on Tuesday that Israel’s return to war is only a matter of time.
“We are preparing, acquiring capabilities, and when we feel ready, we will reopen the gates of hell for Hamas. This requires patience, but in the end, we will achieve the desired outcome,” he said at a conference in Jerusalem.
Current and former officials said Zamir’s plan does not directly address the issue of the “day after” the war in Gaza. However, they agreed that Israeli decision-makers take Trump’s call for the removal of Gaza’s population seriously, despite international opposition to the idea.
Ohad Tal, a member of the Israeli parliamentary defense committee from Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, said that “at the end of the day, Zamir’s plan aligns with the government’s commitment to Trump’s plan.”
“Removing Gaza’s population is the only solution that can truly change reality and create a better life for everyone. So, everything we do in Gaza should serve that goal,” Tal said.
