B
y announcing on Thursday, August 7, his decision to deploy the Israeli army to occupy the entirety of the Gaza Strip, Benjamin Netanyahu set Israel on a path with incalculable and potentially tragic consequences. Not only for the one million residents of Gaza City, who could face forced evacuation to an unknown destination within an already devastated territory, but also for the Israeli hostages, now exposed to the worst possible risks, and for the Israeli soldiers drawn into a guerilla war fueled by the occupation. Not only for Israel, whose indefensible action would further deepen its diplomatic isolation, but also for the already faint hopes for a regional political settlement, which would be wiped out. The Israeli prime minister's announcement was not intended to pressure Hamas in ongoing negotiations. He has refused that route for months, fearing it would shatter his governing alliance.
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Israel prepares to occupy the entire Gaza Strip
It must be stated clearly: Netanyahu's plan for a take over – imposed in spite of opposition from military leaders – is the occupation of a foreign territory and appears neither legal, nor legitimate, nor coherent. "Driving out Hamas" to guarantee Israel's security nearly two years after the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, as the prime minister claimed? The rise and dominance of the Islamist militia in Gaza were themselves a consequence of the previous Israeli occupation; it is hard to see how another takeover by Israel would eliminate them.
