The Israeli army is preparing to launch its military operation to fully control Gaza City

The Israeli army is preparing to take control of Gaza City, the largest city in the Palestinian enclave, on Friday, with the declared goal of “defeating” Hamas and securing the release of “hostages,” amid international criticism.

After 22 months of devastating war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing intense pressure from within and outside Israel to end the offensive in the Gaza Strip, where more than two million Palestinians are threatened by famine, according to the United Nations.

According to the plan approved by the Israeli security cabinet, the Israeli army is preparing to take control of Gaza City, the largely destroyed city in the northern part of the Strip, while distributing humanitarian aid to civilians outside the combat zones.

In addition to disarming Hamas and returning all hostages—living and dead, the plan, according to Netanyahu’s office, aims to impose Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip; establish an alternative civil administration that isn’t subordinate to either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday evening that the army is preparing today to fully implement the decisions.

Shortly after the plan was announced, Germany decided to halt arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza, a move the Israeli Prime Minister considered a reward for Hamas.

The European Union, China, Türkiye, and several Arab and Muslim countries also issued statements rejecting the plan, as did the United Nations, whose Secretary-General António Guterres described it as a dangerous escalation.

“We’ll not occupy Gaza, but we will liberate it from Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a post on X, adding that demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and establishing a “peaceful civil administration… will help free our hostages” and prevent any future threats.

Amid the condemnation, several countries requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which was scheduled for Sunday, according to diplomatic sources.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday described Israel’s plan to seize control of Gaza City as a dangerous escalation that would exacerbate the situation for Palestinians, his spokesman said.

Hamas, which continues to hold 49 hostages, including 27 who the Israeli military says have been killed, believes that Netanyahu’s plans to expand the aggression against Gaza confirm that he is actually seeking to get rid of his prisoners and sacrifice them for his own personal interests and extremist ideological agendas.

Hamas considered that these statements represent a clear reversal of the course of negotiations, stressing that any expansion of the aggression against the Palestinian people won’t be a walk in the park, but will have a heavy and costly price for the “occupation and its army”.

In Gaza, which is bombed daily and bombarded by the Israeli army with repeated evacuation orders, residents said they fear the worst.

In Israel, the Hostage Families Forum declared that the government’s decision means abandoning the hostages.

It said, “The government has chosen to pursue a new reckless path at the expense of the hostages, the soldiers, and Israeli society as a whole”.

Netanyahu announced on Thursday that Israel intends to control the Gaza Strip, but without ruling or holding it.

He continued in an interview with Fox News, “We want to hand over power to Arab forces that will govern Gaza efficiently without threatening us, and while providing a good life for the people of Gaza… This isn’t possible with Hamas”.

The Israeli military currently occupies or conducts ground operations in approximately 75% of Gaza’s territory, conducting most of its operations from fixed points within the Strip or from positions along the border.

It carries out daily air and artillery bombardments, causing deaths and injuries across the Strip.

According to the World Health Organization, 99 people, including 29 children under the age of five, have died from malnutrition since January, a figure that is likely an underestimate.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Friday that the number had reached 202, including 98 children.

The International Committee of the Red Cross also announced that its field hospital in Rafah had treated more than 4,500 patients injured by weapons since May 27, most of whom reported being on their way to food distribution sites when they were injured.