"The Israelis don't want us to film out of the [airplane] window at the devastation inside Gaza. But I've spent 10 minutes looking at it with my own eyes and I can tell you communities in the north of Gaza, that I knew well, are flat. There's nothing left of them." — Jeremy Bowen pic.twitter.com/hFBKTZSAir
— paulusthewoodgnome 🇺🇦 🦋 💂🏻♂️ (@woodgnomology) July 28, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ‘erase Gaza’ in mere weeks by seizing its territory to ‘solve the Palestinian problem,’ proposing a plan to claim parts of the Strip as Israeli land—with an eye on annexing it all—amid rendering much of it uninhabitable and displacing its population. Backed by President Trump but poised for global condemnation, this scheme aims to prevent his extremist coalition from fracturing, as first reported by Haaretz.
The proposal follows Israel’s actions that have left Gaza largely unlivable, displacing a massive portion of residents, and positions Netanyahu to gradually incorporate the territory if Hamas rejects a cease-fire. Designed to appease far-right ministers in his government, the plan underscores a strategic push for permanent control, drawing sharp criticism for its potential to escalate regional conflict and violate international law.
Infowars.com reports: Under the scheme, Israel will give Gaza political and militant group Hamas a short deadline for accepting a ceasefire. After Hamas refuses to accept Netanyahu’s terms (which will likely be written to guarantee refusal) Israel will start annexing portions of Gaza, starting with the buffer zone it has created along the perimeter of the territory, before proceeding to claim more land in the north. Eventually, all of Gaza will be claimed as Israeli land, fulfilling the wishes of extremist ministers who are vital to Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.
One of those powerful coalition members is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party, which seeks to move the Israeli state closer to a theocracy. Smotrich is himself a West Bank settler who has long agitated for the annexing of that territory. In May, Smotrich told a settler conference that “Gaza will be totally destroyed,” with all 2.3 million residents “concentrated” in the extreme south, where they will be “totally despairing” with “no hope” and “looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places.”
Smotrich opposed Netanyahu’s decision — in the face of rising malnutrition and starvation in Gaza accompanied by growing global condemnation — to even slightly increase the flow of food and medicine into the besieged strip. So did another minister of note: Itamar Ben Gvir, who leads the National Security Ministry, called Netanyahu’s move “a capitulation to Hamas’s deceitful campaign,” and reiterated his demand that nothing at all be allowed to flow into Gaza, and for the IDF to conquer the territory and encourage the Palestinians to move to other countries. To get a sense of his extremism, consider that Ben Gvir infamously adorned his home with a photo of Baruch Goldstein, who mass-murdered 28 Muslims in the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre.
Compounding the anger of Ben Gvir and Smotrich, Netanyahu made the decision to facilitate a small increase in aid flow (largely cosmetic) on Saturday — at a time when the two were supposedly unavailable for consultation because they both observe Shabbat. Ben Gvir called that an excuse for acting without him, saying, “I am available all Shabbat, 24/7, because I am the national security minister and receive updates all the time.”
Netanyahu’s annexation scheme is designed to ease that latest political firestorm on his right, with particular focus on Smotrich, who reportedly told Netanyahu he will “remain in the government for the time being,” and will “judge by actions” as to whether the promised annexation of Gaza proceeds.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu assured his ministers that the annexation plan has been presented to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and that the Trump administration supports it. Annexation could encourage more Western governments to recognize Palestine as a state. On Thursday, French President Macron announced that he intends to recognize Palestine at the September United Nations General Assembly, and Monday brought reports that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has swiftly moved closer to making the same move, under pressure from his Labour Party and growing global consensus that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Login or Register to Leave a Comment