Israeli media reported on Sunday that the Israeli army’s plan to take control of Gaza City may extend for at least six months, according to a timeline that begins in two weeks with the gradual evacuation of residents toward humanitarian zones in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
According to a report aired by Channel Kan 11, “The first phase of the operation includes relocating more than 800,000 Palestinians from Gaza City to the Al-Mawasi area, a process expected to take no less than 45 days.”
Within a month, reserve forces from Division 146 are scheduled to be called up, in addition to the deployment of Division 98 in the Gaza Strip.
This will bring the total number of military divisions participating in the operation to six: Division 162, Division 36, Division 98, Gaza Division, Division 99, and Division 146.
The report states that “the Israeli army intends to impose a military cordon around Gaza City on October 25, coinciding with significant progress in the evacuation process, in preparation for launching a ground offensive inside the city.”
Israeli security sources believe the operation could last for at least six months, unless a major breakthrough occurs in negotiations or prisoner exchange efforts.
Senior officials in Israel’s security agencies have expressed serious reservations about the government’s decision to take control of Gaza.
According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Saturday, during a discussion that lasted more than 10 hours, heads of the security agencies—including the Chief of Staff, the head of Mossad, the acting head of Shin Bet, and the head of the National Security Council—voiced varying degrees of concern over Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to proceed with a large-scale military operation in the Strip.
Sources familiar with the matter said that “while the officials did not oppose military action in principle, they believed there were more suitable alternatives and warned that occupying Gaza would pose a severe risk to the lives of soldiers and hostages held by Hamas.”