War Cabinet greenlights full military control of Gaza City and surrounding areas as a decisive stage in the campaign to destroy Hamas. Amid questions over timing, casualties, and humanitarian fallout, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir prepares to execute the most consequential phase of the war.

In a historic shift, Israel’s war cabinet has approved a directive for the Israel Defense Forces to take complete control of Gaza City and surrounding urban sectors, beginning a campaign of full military reoccupation of the Strip. The decision, finalized in the August 7 cabinet meeting, comes after weeks of intense pressure to transition from containment to conquest.

“This is the beginning of the end for Hamas,” said Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, speaking after the vote. “We will dismantle their command structures, retake every corner of Gaza, and ensure that never again will Israeli citizens live under the shadow of massacre and abduction.”

Katz’s message was echoed in strategic briefings to U.S. and international media, including a Fox News segment in which he stated: “The government has authorized the IDF to finish the job. That means Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah. The Strip will not remain a safe haven for terror.”

Zamir to Command Multi-Front Assault

The man now tasked with carrying out this directive is Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, appointed Chief of Staff in early 2025 after a career that included commanding Israel’s Southern Command and serving as Director-General of the Defense Ministry.

Zamir’s deep operational knowledge of the Gaza theater and Hamas’s underground infrastructure made him a natural choice for this phase of the war. According to Channel 12, the IDF plan will involve a “three-layer encirclement” of Gaza City, with armored brigades supported by precision air and drone strikes targeting tunnel access points and command nodes.

Military sources speaking on background noted that Shejaiya, Zeitoun, and the Rimal district will be key targets in the renewed offensive. Special forces units are expected to be deployed to secure tunnel shafts and prepare for deep-clearing missions.

“This will be a grinding battle,” said a senior IDF officer cited in Israel Hayom. “But the objective is clear: total operational control, and the collapse of Hamas’s ability to reconstitute itself.”

Why Now?

For nearly ten months, Israel has waged a relentless yet calibrated war against Hamas following the October 7 massacre that killed over 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 kidnapped. Despite heavy blows to Hamas’s leadership and infrastructure, pockets of resistance persist — especially in Gaza City and its extensive subterranean tunnel networks.

Frustration has been mounting among the Israeli public and within the government over what critics call a “stop-start” strategy. Leaks from within the cabinet revealed growing impatience with the IDF’s limited re-entry raids and a desire for “clear, irreversible territorial outcomes.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly sided with hardliners during the cabinet session, agreeing that a return to full IDF control in the north was “not just militarily necessary, but morally imperative.”

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office added: “We will not end this war with Hamas surviving as a governing power. Their defeat — total and permanent — is the only acceptable outcome.”

American Position: Quiet Support, Conditional Backing

While the Biden administration has voiced concerns about humanitarian impacts, the White House has notably refrained from criticizing the new Israeli move. U.S. National Security Council spokespersons have repeated the mantra that Israel has “the right and responsibility to dismantle Hamas” while urging restraint in densely populated areas.

However, humanitarian concerns remain a point of contention.

“We will be watching closely,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. “We’ve been clear that protecting civilian life and facilitating aid are non-negotiable priorities.”

Israeli sources indicate that coordination with U.S. CENTCOM and European allies has been ongoing in preparation for this phase. American military planners have reportedly reviewed Israel’s revised humanitarian deconfliction maps and aid corridor plans.

Humanitarian Impact and Civilian Movement

The Israeli government insists that the vast majority of Gaza City’s civilian population has already evacuated to the southern Strip or humanitarian zones established along the coast. Leaflets, SMS messages, and loudspeaker warnings are expected to precede any major strikes — a practice the IDF has maintained throughout the campaign.

Still, human rights groups and international agencies warn of severe risks to the estimated 200,000–300,000 Palestinians who have remained in the north, either voluntarily or due to inability to evacuate.

IDF sources say that several corridors will remain open for those seeking to leave combat zones, though officials acknowledge that “no war is free of friction, and there will be tragic consequences in some cases.”

Meanwhile, Hamas continues to embed forces and munitions inside schools, clinics, and homes, complicating operational planning and raising the likelihood of international criticism once operations begin.

Questions Over Casualties and Strategic Endgame

While Israel has not published expected casualty estimates, military analysts suggest that urban operations in Gaza City could result in dozens of Israeli fatalities and hundreds of wounded, given the density of terrain and prevalence of booby-trapped structures.

Lt. Gen. Zamir is said to have ordered additional protective equipment, robotic tunnel-clearing units, and revised battlefield protocols based on lessons from Rafah and Khan Younis.

“There is no such thing as zero-risk combat in Gaza,” said retired Maj. Gen. Gershon Hacohen. “But the greater risk is stopping short again. That would mean war returns in two years, not peace.”

The bigger question remains: what comes after Gaza is conquered?

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has begun discreet consultations with Arab and Western partners on post-Hamas civil arrangements, though no concrete framework has emerged. Netanyahu has stated unequivocally that Israel will retain security control for the foreseeable future, rejecting both a UN-administered authority or immediate handover to the Palestinian Authority.

As one senior official put it: “First we win the war. Then we shape the peace.”

Final Phase Begins

With Israeli tanks reportedly already massing on the outskirts of Gaza City and reservist call-ups issued earlier this week, the stage is set for what could be the most decisive campaign in modern Israeli military history.

Conquest of Gaza City is not a symbolic gesture. It is a deliberate, systematic dismantling of what remains of Hamas’s grip on the Strip. Whether this breaks the back of the terror regime — or marks the beginning of a new chapter of confrontation — will be determined in the coming weeks.

But one thing is now clear: the era of indecision is over. Israel is going in — and it is not coming back out until the job is done.