Israel's military drafted plans to "reconquer" Gaza in a renewed effort to defeat Hamas, according to a Financial Times report published Monday. Israel occupied the enclave for almost 40 years until 2005, after taking it in the 1967 war.
The new proposal, formulated by the recently appointed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, has received unofficial backing from far-right ministers but still awaits formal approval from the nation's security cabinet.
The strategy calls for multiple IDF combat units to launch a new invasion of Gaza, eliminate Hamas, control major portions of the territory, and relocate its 2 million residents to the al-Mawasi so-called coastal humanitarian area. The IDF would then assume control of the besieged region, including distribution of aid to ensure Hamas would not benefit from it.
