Yisrael Katz, the Defense Minister, convened a meeting today with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, senior military officials, and Shin Bet representatives to review and authorize the military’s strategy for seizing Gaza City.
This discussion and the unveiling of the IDF’s plans to the Defense Minister is happening despite Hamas’s announcement yesterday that it accepted a ceasefire proposal. If a hostage-ceasefire agreement is finalized, the operation to take Gaza City would likely be canceled.
Israeli officials state that the IDF’s strategy for capturing Gaza City begins with setting up humanitarian infrastructure in southern Gaza, such as permitting tents and shelter supplies to enter the region in recent days.
The IDF will then issue evacuation notices to the roughly one million Palestinians living in Gaza City. According to Israeli officials, residents will have until October 7, 2025, to leave the city, marking the second anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel. Subsequently, the IDF will initiate a ground offensive in Gaza City, including imposing a siege to eliminate any remaining Hamas fighters.
The military plans to mobilize tens of thousands of reservists in the coming days for the operation, though it remains uncertain how many will be deployed to Gaza, as officials note that many reservists will replace regular troops on other fronts.