Israeli Army Radio reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant agreed to study operations that could be carried out in Gaza on the basis of the “generals’ plan.”
The so-called “generals’ plan” was recently presented, and leaks published by Israeli and American media revealed that it stipulates a siege of the northern Gaza Strip, stopping humanitarian aid, and evacuating the population.
These outlets quoted Netanyahu as saying during a closed session in the Knesset – last Sunday – that he was studying this “logical” plan.
CNN reported, citing a former Israeli military official, that Netanyahu is considering a plan “to force all Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to leave.” He added that the plan aims to turn the northern Gaza Strip into a closed military zone, besiege Hamas fighters “and force them to surrender or starve.”
Surrender or die
On the other hand, the Israeli “Yedioth Ahronoth” said a few days ago that the army is expected to present several alternatives to the plan to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza in the coming days.
The newspaper added that the plans will be presented to Netanyahu and will include “options aimed at withdrawing civilian authority from Hamas.”
It also stated that “after a week’s deadline to evacuate the population, a complete military siege will be imposed on the area, which will leave the militants in Gaza City facing the choice of surrender or death.”
This plan became known in Israel as the “Generals’ Plan,” and it was proposed by Reserve General Giora Eiland, former head of the Security Council, at the beginning of this September, and was supported by dozens of current and former senior officers in the army.
Israeli estimates indicate that about 5,000 fighters from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) remain in the northern Gaza Strip.
“Israel Today” newspaper quoted Netanyahu during the same Knesset session, saying, “There was an attempt to enable the tribes in Gaza to distribute humanitarian aid, but it did not succeed.”
Last March, the Association of Palestinian Tribes, Clans and Families in the Gaza Strip said – in a statement – that it “is not an alternative to any Palestinian political system, but rather is composed of national components and supports the resistance and the protection of the internal front.”
About a year after its devastating war on Gaza, Israel has failed to achieve any of its first declared goals of the war, which were to recover its prisoners in the besieged Gaza Strip and destroy the capabilities of the Hamas movement.
Source : Tel Aviv Tribune + Agencies + Israeli press