Annexation, mass expulsion, Jewish settlements make up 'second stage' of Gaza war: Report

Israeli media says Palestinians expelled from northern Gaza in the second phase will 'huddle together' with refugees from the first phase in the 'humanitarian enclave' in the south  

News Desk  - The Cradle 

Palestinians shelter at a temporary tent camp set up for those who were displaced from their homes by Israel's evacuation orders and airstrikes, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2023. (Photo credit: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Israel is entering the second phase of its war on Gaza, which involves expelling Palestinians, establishing Jewish settlements, and the annexation in the north of the strip while keeping Palestinians living in tents under military occupation in the south “for years,” according to an analysis by Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn published on 9 September.

Benn writes that the Israeli military will “strive to complete its takeover of the northern Gaza Strip from the previous border to the Netzarim corridor. We can predict that this area will then gradually be made available for Jewish settlement and annexation to Israel.”

“If that happens, Palestinian residents who remain in northern Gaza will be expelled, as suggested by Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, under threat of starvation and under cover of 'protecting their lives' while the Israeli military hunts down Hamas militants in that sector,” he adds.

The Haaretz editor-in-chief says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dreams of being the first Israeli leader in 50 years to expand Israeli territory through conquest rather than relinquish it.

If Netanyahu can conquer and resettle Gaza, his supporters will view this as a “lifetime achievement.”

Benn notes that members of Netanyahu's government see Azerbaijan's swift ethnic cleansing of some 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the autonomous Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2022 as a precedent to follow.

“The world saw this and moved on: 100,000 refugees are still stranded in Armenia, which is in no rush to integrate them. Similarly, the expelled residents of northern Gaza will huddle together with refugees from the first phase of the war in the 'humanitarian enclave' in the south.”

Benn writes that the new phase of the war began quietly on 28 August with the appointment of Elad Goren as the first “head of the humanitarian-civil effort in the Gaza Strip” in the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit.

Goren will function as the “governor of Gaza” and control aid distribution to Palestinians in the strip, and replace international organizations, including UNRWA.

For Benn, “The motive is obvious: whoever distributes the food and medicine has their hand on the power switch.”

Hamas will continue to control southern Gaza but will be besieged by Israeli troops who will remain on the Philadelphi corridor (Gaza–Egypt border) and Netzarim corridor (which bisects northern Gaza from the south).

“In such a situation, Netanyahu and his partners hope that after another winter in tents and without basic facilities, the two million Palestinians crowded in Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Al-Mawasi will realize that they cannot go back to their ruined homes. Accordingly, despair is supposed to incite them against Yahya Sinwar's oppressive rule – and to encourage many of them to leave Gaza altogether.”

Benn anticipates that Netanyahu will continue to oppose a ceasefire deal that would return the roughly 100 Israelis still held captive by Hamas.

“Rather than them being an asset and leverage for significant concessions from Israel, the hostages will become a burden on the Palestinians, as well as Israel's justification for continued warfare, siege, and occupation. This is how Israel enters the second phase of its war against Hamas,” he concludes.