ISRAEL has revealed its plans to conquer Gaza City in a final push to wipe out the entirety of Hamas and secure the remaining hostages.
Operation Gideon’s Chariots II is set to get underway soon as the IDF looks to end the 22-month conflict by ridding Gaza of terrorists and taking complete control over the Strip.
Defense Minister Israel Katz approved plans for the full Gaza City takeover operation today as he called up 60,000 additional reservists.
The IDF are now primed to march through the besieged city in a final push to eliminate the terror group.
The plan has received international condemnation in recent weeks from the UK among others who have threatened to recognise Palestinian statehood in a matter of weeks.
Experts are also warning that any extended invasion will drastically worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza with thousands on the brink of starvation.
A defiant Israel will go ahead with the operation despite the concerns.
The plan was finalised after Katz met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, top senior officers and Shin Bet representatives.
The 60,000 reservists will join up with around 70,000 men and women already part of the IDF reservists to form a huge army massing on the outskirts of Gaza City.
In total, three reserve brigades and an additional two battalions are poised to support the military assault.
The entire operation will involve all five IDF divisions, according to local media.
The troops will form the basis of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II which has been named as the follow-up to the original mission under the same name which saw the IDF take over 75 percent of the Strip in May.
Preparation has already begun into conducting the several phases of the advance.
On Tuesday night, the Givati division made the first move as they entered the village of Jabaliya, north of Gaza City.
The Nahal Brigade in Zeitoun, south of the city, soon followed suit as the IDF begins to surround the wartron region.
The IDF intends to encircle the whole city before moving in to pierce the heart of Gaza City where Hamas’ operational centres are said to be.
A surge of troops, tanks and army vehicles will all storm the city until complete operational control is achieved.
The IDF has said it will try to move the entire population in Gaza City to the south of the Strip before commencing with any assault.
The IDF has already given civilians in Gaza until October 7 to evacuate before a full military assault to destroy Hamas is expected.
October 7 marks a pivotal date in the war as it will be exactly two years since Hamas first launched an evil assault on Israeli civilians which killed over 1,200 people.
It is widely understood the plan will continue in every region in the Gaza Strip under it is entirely under Israeli control.
Israel’s military say the battle to root out all evil in the region could continue well into 2026.
The IDF said they may call up two more waves of reservist troops in November and then again in February if needed.
Israel is likely to end up having to mobilise more than 400,000 troops for the entire operation.
During the time it takes to pull off the siege, Israel’s government say they will help to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground.
They plan to build several more aid distribution centers as well as two field hospitals at key points in the Strip to treat Gazan civilians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a discussion on Operation Gideon’s Chariots II on Thursday.
The approval of the operational plans come as recent peace talks have sparked hope that the Gaza City siege could be halted if Hamas agrees to a hostage deal.
A proposal has been backed by Hamas for a partial deal that would see 10 alive hostages released in exchange for a two-month ceasefire.
Israel is still reviewing the proposal but officials are signalling they are unlikely to accept it as it doesn’t involve all 50 hostages being freed.
Israel’s five-step plan for Gaza
ISRAEL’S cabinet has signed off on five guiding principles to conclude the war — a roadmap that leaves no room for compromise with Hamas.
First and foremost is the disarmament of Hamas.
Israel has made it clear that the terrorist group must be stripped of its weapons entirely – not just weakened, but dismantled – to prevent any future attacks on Israeli civilians.
This includes weapons factories and underground tunnels that have turned Gaza into a launchpad for attacks.
The 22-month war has left tens of thousands dead after Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on October 7.
They took 251 hostages during the assault with 49 still being held in Gaza – including 27 who the IDF say are dead.
The return of all hostages, both living and dead, is also a non-negotiable pillar of the plan.
Israeli leaders have stressed that no resolution will be accepted unless it includes the safe return of every captive held in Gaza.
Another goal is to create a buffer zone of peace, free from rockets, terrorists and threats.
Israeli also want to have a complete security control over Gaza and to have the creation of a new civil administration that excludes both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
A senior Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post: “We are determined to implement the cabinet’s decision to capture Gaza City unless a framework is presented that includes the release of all hostages and an end to the war under the terms outlined by the prime minister.”
The United States is also still discussing a ceasefire proposal which would provide a 60-day truce in Gaza, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
It comes as the world continues to criticise the way Israel plans to end the conflict.
The UN has said Gaza faces “starvation” and “calamity” if the war continues.
At least 251 civilians died as a result of famine and malnutrition with just under half being children, according to the latest numbers from the Gaza health ministry.
As France went directly against the US and Israel by announcing it will become the first G7 nation to view Palestine as its own state starting in September.
Britain’s Sir Keir Starmer vowed he would recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel agrees to end the “appalling” crisis in Gaza.
It now leaves Germany and the US as the only two main backers of Israel.
The US – headed up by Donald Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff – have been pushing for a peace deal in recent months.
Trump is close allies with Netanyahu, even hailing him as a “war hero” this week, but even he noted in July that Gaza is experiencing a “real starvation”.
Israel have fiercely defended their Gaza assault plans, saying it is the only way to beat Hamas.
And a defiant Netanyahu accused the terror group of refusing to “lay down its arms” – leaving Israel “no choice but to finish the job”.
Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara added the country has no alternative but to continue mobilising reservists, i24 reported.
