Israel’s Strategy Towards Gaza: From Military Campaign to Gradual Annexation

By Elijah J. Magnier – 

Israel has begun conditioning its population to accept a long-term military presence in Gaza, portraying it as a necessary step to ensure security and deter Hamas. Defence Minister Israel Katz has publicly proposed a permanent Israeli deployment in Gaza and its periphery, akin to operations in the West Bank—even if the cost is high. Katz has ignored the logistical and ideological obstacles: Gaza’s resistance factions are not disarmed, nor are they politically aligned with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah who collaborate with Israel’s security services against the Palestinian resistance.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, appears to be using ceasefire negotiations as a survival political tool. His message to Hamas is blunt: accept a ceasefire on Israel’s terms—including a permanent military presence in Rafah—or face destruction and total occupation. With the international community largely impotent and Washington backing Israel, Netanyahu is seizing the opportunity to push through irreversible regional and demographic changes on the ground to please his far-right wing government he is leading.

However, this war has not come without cost to Israel. Operation “Gideon’s Chariots”—a more than two-month-long campaign—claimed the lives of over 50 Israeli soldiers and officers without achieving its objectives to destroy Hamas and liberate 20 Israeli prisoners. Despite repeated incursions, the Israeli army has failed to secure permanent footholds inside Gaza due to ongoing Palestinian resistance operations. Reports suggest that Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir advised the government that holding territory in Gaza would require at least a year of continuous military operations, with open-ended mobilisation and massive human and material costs. While seemingly aligned with Netanyahu’s goals, Zamir has reportedly warned against politically driven military expansion, cautioning that it could exhaust the Israeli army without delivering sustainable strategic results.

During the government meeting, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich launched a scathing attack on Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, accusing him of incompetence in failing to secure