Displacement Plans and Occupation Expansion: Gaza Faces a Strategy of 'Gradual Strangulation'

Amidst the international community's preoccupation with complex regional issues, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued escalating statements paving the way for a new phase of aggression against the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu confirmed that his forces, which previously controlled half of the Strip's area, have expanded their influence to 60%, with clear instructions issued to the army to advance and control 70% of the total area, in a clear violation of previous understandings.

The statements did not stop at the military field dimension but extended to demographic objectives, as Security Minister Israel Katz tweeted, confirming the government's commitment to preventing any civilian or military control by Hamas. Katz clearly indicated that the 'voluntary displacement' project for Palestinians is still ongoing and will be implemented at the time and in the manner Israel deems appropriate, reflecting a complete disregard for international positions rejecting displacement.

This harmony between Netanyahu and Katz reveals a strategy of 'strangling Gaza' through gradual occupation, where the former undertakes the task of military expansion on the ground, while the latter promotes the ultimate goal of emptying the land of its inhabitants. These moves come at a time when Israel continues to use starvation, denial of medicine, and control over the movement of individuals as essential tools of war to subdue the popular base.

On the ground, statistics issued by the Ministry of Health indicate a dangerous escalation in the number of casualties, with May recording 119 martyrs, the highest toll since October. Since the signing of what is known as the 'Trump Agreement,' 933 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured, proving that political agreements have not stopped the killing machine but have turned it into a daily attrition at a calculated pace.

International media reports indicate that what Israel calls 'voluntary migration' is nothing but a systematic ethnic cleansing operation, as forcing residents to leave after destroying their homes and infrastructure and depriving them of food cannot be considered a free choice. The choice between death under bombardment or exile is the epitome of coercion and compulsion practiced against unarmed civilians.

Within the military establishment, voices are emerging pushing for a comprehensive military decisive action, with generals like Yaniv Asor leading a push for a wide-ranging offensive aimed at completely disarming the resistance within a few weeks. Despite preoccupation with other fronts, this option remains strongly on Netanyahu's table, especially with the approaching 2026 election calculations and his need to achieve a decisive 'victory image.'

Multiple strategies are being discussed within Israeli leadership circles, prominent among them the 'gradual plan' which proposes dividing the Strip into geographical and demographic squares to be dealt with separately. This plan is based on evacuating residents from north to south and destroying all remaining signs of life in the evacuated areas to ensure no return, while opening security routes for inspection and external displacement.

The occupation authorities deliberately obstruct any reconstruction projects or the establishment of an organized administrative authority within the Strip, with the aim of perpetuating chaos and making Gaza an uninhabitable place. This approach aims to push families to leave for fear of their children's future, which represents the core of the Israeli plan to liquidate the Palestinian issue through its Gaza gateway.

In contrast, Israeli security elites believe that time is on their side in the absence of real international or regional pressure, and with the army controlling all crossings and entry points to the Strip. Nevertheless, the steadfastness of the people of Gaza on their land remains the sole and primary obstacle to the implementation of these infernal plans, which requires Palestinian and Arab support that goes beyond verbal statements.

The current phase is the most difficult and decisive test for the Palestinian cause, as Netanyahu races against time to transform the temporary occupation into a permanent reality imposed by force of arms. The bet remains on the ability of the Palestinian people in Gaza to thwart displacement plans, considering that their presence on their land is the only key to protecting the future of Palestine and its national identity.

Katz affirmed Israel's intention to expel Palestinians under the guise of 'voluntary migration,' but the choice between humanitarian catastrophe or exile is not a voluntary choice but ethnic cleansing.