As Israel continues its brutal assault on Gaza, it is also advancing efforts to bring the small enclave of 2.3 million people under military rule. Even after massacring 50,000 people, Israel remains relentless in its plan to eradicate Palestinians from Gaza and seize control of the territory. This is part of a larger strategy aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump's resettlement plan. Israel’s ongoing offensive, carried out even amid ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, is a continuation of its recurring Ramadan massacres, executed with even greater brutality this time. According to the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, this is not a spontaneous act of war but a carefully calculated plan designed to make Gaza uninhabitable. HRW further states that Trump's directive to "take over" Gaza, along with Israel’s coercive efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians, will only intensify the genocide.
The Israeli government has granted oversight of humanitarian services in Gaza to COGAT, the agency coordinating Israel’s operations, following multiple discussions with the United Nations and humanitarian and peace agencies last week. Under strict control, COGAT will be responsible for delivering aid to Gazans deemed “non-disruptive” through controlled logistics hubs. As the second phase of January’s ceasefire agreement is set to begin, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are expected to withdraw. However, the COGAT plan, which places daily life in Gaza under complete Israeli control, has come into effect. The plan includes permanently shutting down the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and instead channeling aid through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing. With Rafah’s closure, operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the largest UN humanitarian organization in Gaza, will be significantly curtailed. Israel has also announced that all NGOs operating in Gaza must register in Israel and that their staff will be placed under Israeli control. To oversee these operations, the Israeli Defence Ministry is establishing a new governance division. On Saturday, the Israeli cabinet approved Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s proposal for this division. The newly established directorate under the Defence Ministry will oversee a “safe and regulated” process for those voluntarily leaving Gaza. This includes managing their route abroad, travel arrangements, security screening of pedestrians, and regulations for land, sea, and air travel—all under Israel’s monitorning. The Israeli minister clarified that these measures will comply with international law and align with the U.S. President’s Gaza plan.
At the same time, Israel has given the green light to the construction of 13 independent Jewish settlements in the West Bank under the directive of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. HRW has condemned this move, calling it part of the Zionist state's covert plan to annex areas of the West Bank unauthorised. The construction of these illegal settlement complexes in the West Bank also has the full backing of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Israel and the United States have thus embarked on an arrogant plan to systematically annex both Gaza and the West Bank while leaving only a symbolic Palestinian flag fluttering over a minuscule remnant of Palestine, humiliating the international community in the process. Reports from the Israeli cultural magazine 'Mekomit' revealed that as early as October 2023, when the genocide began, Israel’s intelligence ministry had already devised a plan to depopulate and occupy Gaza. The proposal initially suggested relocating Palestinians to Sinai, under Egyptian control, a move that later became highly controversial. Israel’s latest actions indicate that the plan to absorb a free Gaza into Israel was also part of Donald Trump’s second-term vision. Israel has openly declared that no Palestinian putting up resistance will be tolerated in Gaza and that, unless they agree to a dictated "peace settlement," Gaza will be burnt down and taken by force—a stance echoed by both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. In February, Egypt and Jordan, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, unveiled a $53 billion plan to rebuild Gaza, but amidst these efforts, the Zionist military's new expulsion campaign aims to ensure that everything collapses. Only time will tell how this chapter ends, but for now, it remains in the hands of those orchestrating this strategy.
