The Israeli newspaper Haaretz confirmed in its editorial on Sunday that the Israeli army is carrying out an “ethnic cleansing operation” in the northern Gaza Strip, which includes forcibly displacing the few remaining residents, destroying their homes and infrastructure, and opening wide roads as part of a plan aimed at separating the northern areas of the Strip from Gaza City.

The newspaper relied on a report by its military correspondent Yaniv Kubovich, who accompanied the Israeli forces on a tour of the area, describing the situation there as looking like a "natural disaster," despite the newspaper's emphasis that what is happening is systematic and intentional destruction.

The newspaper added references to a report published by the British newspaper The Guardian, which quoted Brigadier General Itzik Cohen, commander of the 162nd Division in the Israeli army, denying that residents would be allowed to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, explaining that most of the residents of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, al-Atatra and Jabalia had already been evacuated, and that his forces had received clear orders to carry out this forced evacuation. Cohen indicated that his mission was to "evacuate and cleanse an area," claiming that the evacuation was intended to "protect the residents" and facilitate the movement of Israeli forces.

The newspaper touched on the "generals' plan" drawn up by retired Major General Giora Eiland and some other retired commanders, which calls for displacing the population in the northern Gaza Strip and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, considering that what Eiland is presenting publicly is part of a strategy implemented by the army under the direction of its military and political leaders, starting with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Southern Command Commander Yaron Finkelman, and with the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Galant, and his successor, Israel Katz.

The newspaper stressed that Netanyahu bears the greatest responsibility for the "war crimes" that also aim to destroy the homes of Palestinians and displace them, as part of the "war of rebirth" that seeks to pave the way for a long-term occupation and the possibility of future Jewish settlement.

Haaretz also touched on the comment of Israeli historian Daniel Beltman, a specialist in Holocaust and genocide studies, who described Eiland as an embodiment of moral collapse and a loss of historical understanding, noting in his article that the “Eiland Plan” falls within the category of “war crimes” ranging from ethnic cleansing to genocide.

In his article titled “Eiland’s Justifications Aim to Cover Up Israeli Crimes in Gaza,” Beltman believes that Eiland is trying to justify the displacement operations through flimsy justifications, considering that Eiland represents the moral collapse of “Israel.”

Beltman pointed out that Eiland has tried to portray the Gaza Strip as an “independent state” since the disengagement in 2005, likening the situation to Germany in the 1930s, but he considered this comparison misleading. Beltman stressed that Gaza is still under the effective control of Israel, which controls the entrances to the Strip, airspace, and territorial waters, which hinders the delivery of basic services such as health and education.

Beltman also denied Eiland's claims about the similarity between the rise of the Nazis and Hamas's seizure of power in Gaza, describing this comparison as illogical, and explained that Hamas seized power in besieged conditions and under Israeli military control, and that it is not a recognized international entity with economic and military capabilities.

Beltman concluded his article by questioning the fate of the Palestinians displaced under the Eiland plan, and pointed out that ignoring the provision of housing, care, and security for the displaced reflects a deliberate intention to oppress the residents of Gaza. He said that the “selective justifications” presented by Eiland aim to evade the fact that “Israel” is committing a war crime in Gaza aimed at ethnic cleansing and changing the demographic composition of the region.