Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is examining a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas militants, a plan that, if implemented, could trap without food or water hundreds of thousands of Palestinians unwilling or unable to leave their homes. Israel has issued many evacuation orders for the north throughout the yearlong war, the most recent of which was Sunday, the AP reports. The plan proposed by a group of retired generals would escalate the pressure, giving Palestinians a week to leave the northern third of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, before declaring it a closed military zone.
Those who remain would be considered combatants—meaning military regulations would allow troops to kill them—and denied food, water, medicine, and fuel, according to a copy of the plan given to the AP by its chief architect, who says the plan is the only way to break Hamas in the north and pressure it to release the remaining hostages. The plan calls for Israel to maintain control over the north for an indefinite period to attempt to create a new administration without Hamas, splitting the Gaza Strip in two. There has been no decision by the government to fully carry out the so-called Generals' Plan, and it is unclear how strongly it is being considered.
One official with knowledge of the matter said parts of the plan are already being implemented, without specifying which parts. On Sunday, Israel launched an offensive against Hamas fighters in the Jabaliya refugee camp north of the city. No trucks of food, water, or medicine have entered the north since Sept. 30, according to the UN and the website of the Israeli military agency overseeing humanitarian aid crossings. The State Department spokesperson has said the United States is against any plan that would bring direct Israeli occupation in Gaza. The Generals' Plan was presented to the parliament last month by a group of retired generals and high-ranking officers, according to publicly available minutes.
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