Israel’s Plan for Gaza City Is Still Unclear

Since its announcement on Friday, Israel’s plan to capture Gaza City has been roundly criticized inside and outside Israel. Palestinians and foreign leaders say the plan will prolong the war and the suffering of Palestinian civilians. The Israeli left says it will likely endanger hostages still held by Hamas. The Israeli right says it will not do enough to defeat Hamas.

Now, a new criticism is emerging within Israel: There is little clarity over what exactly this operation will involve.

While there have been vague proclamations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s military has yet to complete the tactical battle plan. There has been no public confirmation of how long any occupation of the city will last — or when it will begin, and how it will differ from Israel’s capture of Gaza City in the opening months of the war in 2023.

Over the weekend, Mr. Netanyahu doubled down on the threat to capture Gaza City, saying at a press briefing that Israel had “no choice” but to proceed because Hamas had yet to surrender.

Yet he gave little further detail about the plan.

“What does Netanyahu want? Does he want a hostage deal or to conquer Gaza?” asked Nahum Barnea, one of Israel’s best-known columnists, in an analysis published on Monday in Yediot Ahronot, a centrist broadsheet.

“I don’t understand what the military meaning of ‘seizing control’ is,” Mr. Barnea added. “I’m not sure that anyone in the military does either.”

Mediators are still trying to bring about a truce between Israel and Hamas. Some Israeli officials say that by announcing a major escalation in the conflict while delaying its enactment, Mr. Netanyahu may simply be trying to pressure Hamas into making greater concessions in those negotiations.

The decision to seek control of Gaza City has angered all sides — including Palestinians, Israeli critics of Mr. Netanyahu who say it should never have been made at all and Israeli right-wingers who say the plan does not go far enough.

“The only tangible idea is to protract the war. The details do not matter to Netanyahu,” said Alon Pinkas, an Israeli political commentator and former ambassador.

“The war never had clear political objectives aligned with military operations. There was never an endgame, never a political vision of postwar Gaza,” Mr. Pinkas said in an interview, adding that the latest Israeli proposal “evinces this to its highest and most dangerous form.”

Those at the other end of the political spectrum also decried the lack of detail provided, saying that it showed Mr. Netanyahu was not serious about defeating Hamas.

“The plan is only ‘more of the same,’” said Hallel Biton Rosen, writing for the website of the far-right Channel 14 news network. “We must not stop. We must continue with full force until total victory.”

Myra Noveck and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting.