As the war in Gaza drags on, Israel is planning to 'reconquer' the Palestinian enclave and stay there for the long term to defeat Hamas militant group decisively, according to reports in the Financial Times and Israeli media. The reports came as Israel continued to pound several parts of Gaza while talks on reviving the truce dragged on.

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The proposal to reconquer Gaza for the first time in two decades was prepared by the Israeli military and aims to 'finally defeat Hamas', said the FT report. This, if approved by the Israeli cabinet, would lead to a long-term occupation of Gaza, an enclave freed by Israel in 2005 after it was taken by its forces during the 1967 war.

The FT report said the proposal was "formulated by the new Israel Defense Forces chief of staff with the unofficial backing of far-right ministers who have long demanded drastically harsher tactics" against Hamas.

Citing people aware of the plan, the report said it made possible now that Donald Trump is back as US president. His predecessor Joe Biden was against Israel reoccupying Gaza or annexing territory, it noted. The difference is that Trump wants to win the war as opposed to Biden administration's desire to end it.

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Hamas releases video of two Israeli hostages held in Gaza

The fragile truce was broken last week when Israel struck various parts of Gaza and resumed ground operations. At least 400 people have been killed in the renewed offensive.

 

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Hamas authorities claimed most of the casualties were women and children, but the IDF said its targets were the military-political leadership of Hamas. One of them, Ismail Burhoum, was killed in an air strike at the  Nasser Medical Complex on Sunday (Mar 25).

What exactly is Israel's 'reconquer and control' plan for Gaza?

The plan, as per the FT report, is as follows:

> Use IDF combat divisions to reinvade and subdue Hamas

> Control wide areas of the enclave 

> Confine the Gaza population into a small humanitarian zone along the Mediterranean coast

> Administer Gaza through the military, which amounts to its reoccupation two decades after Israeli military pulled out in 2005.

> Take over administering the humanitarian aid through military or private contracts, having estimated the calories each Palestinian would require, to ensure Hamas does not benefit from it.

What will be the consequence of an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza?

According to the FT report, the plan would uproot millions of Palestinians, moving them into a small, barren land and surviving on food aid. Hamas and other Palestinian militants are not going to sit quiet, with the report noting that the reconquering of Gaza will cause a long insurgency against Israeli troops.

Israeli media had already reported about plans for a renewed invasion of and possible reoccupation of Gaza.

Israel kills top Hamas official Ismail Barhoum in targeted airstrike at Gaza's Nasser hospital

This, if implemented, would be a “completely different kind of fighting” according to a senior military reservist cited in the FT report. The reservists have reportedly been told to be ready for long periods of “combat, victory and administration”, he said.

US special envoy Witkoff says Hamas ‘duped’ him as he blames renewed attack in Gaza on militant group

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has always aimed at the complete destruction of Hamas, whose 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel killed at least 1,200. The Palestinian militant group also took some 250 people hostage, leading to Israel's invasion of Gaza that caused the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinans according to Gaza authorities. 

(With inputs from agencies)