The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday announced plans to seize 75 percent of the Gaza Strip within two months, escalating its military campaign against Hamas.
According to Israeli estimates, the military currently controls around 40 percent of Gaza. The new plan seeks to expand that control by occupying key areas in the north and south, including Rafah, Khan Younis, and towns north of Gaza City.
As part of this strategy, more than two million Palestinians would be confined to three small zones that together cover only 25 percent of Gaza’s territory.
One area is Al-Mawasi on the southern coast, where approximately 700,000 people are currently sheltering. The second area is central Gaza, around Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat, which is home to between 300,000 and 350,000 residents. The third area is Gaza City, where roughly one million displaced Palestinians are located.
The IDF is also planning to roll out a new delivery system, scheduled to be operational on Monday.
As part of the new system, four aid centers, three in the south and one in central Gaza, will be run by American contractors and serve as the sole locations for receiving food and medical supplies. Palestinians will have to travel through active conflict zones to reach the centers every five days.
The United Nations and major humanitarian groups have declined to participate, citing safety concerns. One aid official said: “There is no meaningful aid access without security and neutrality. This plan does not meet either criterion.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 3,747 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed on March 18, when Israel launched a surprise wave of airstrikes in Gaza. The total number of Palestinian deaths since the war began in October 2023 now exceeds 53,000, according to local health authorities.
