CAIRO – 6 August 2025: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a full reoccupation of Gaza, a move that would mark a major shift in the ongoing war and intensify global criticism of Israel’s actions, a report by the Associated Press read.
What would it mean for captives?
Reentering and holding Gaza would likely spark fierce international and domestic backlash. Much of Israel’s security establishment reportedly opposes the idea, and families of captives fear it could endanger the remaining captives, who are believed to number around 20 and are likely hidden in Gaza’s underground network.
Netanyahu’s push may serve dual purposes: pressuring Hamas after peace talks stalled and satisfying far-right coalition partners who have long advocated retaking Gaza, displacing its population, and reestablishing Israeli settlements.
What would it mean for Palestinians, Israelis?
Any such move would likely involve military operations in the last densely populated zones of Gaza, including areas where displaced Palestinians are sheltering in dire conditions.
That could trigger another wave of mass displacement, further restrict humanitarian aid, and deepen Gaza’s imminent famine.
Israel currently controls most of Gaza, but reoccupying the whole territory would solidify its control over all land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean — raising deeper questions about the future of Palestinian statehood and the viability of a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, If Israel reoccupies Gaza, it would bear full responsibility for maintaining order and providing for civilians — obligations it has largely sidestepped in the West Bank by relying on the Palestinian Authority.
When asked, Trump said the decision to reoccupy Gaza is “pretty much up to Israel.”
But with global patience wearing thin and Western allies pushing for a ceasefire, any long-term occupation could leave Israel even more isolated.
While Israel, with the support of Trump, has repeatedly expressed plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to other countries, including Egypt, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stated on Tuesday that “Egypt will remain a gateway for aid—not for displacement.”
In a press conference with his Vietnamese counterpart, Luong Cuong, in Cairo, Sisi described the war in Gaza as no longer about captives or political objectives. Instead, it has become “a war of starvation, genocide, and an attempt to eliminate the Palestinian cause.”
The war in Gaza has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, according to latest figures by the enclave’s health ministry, including 1,000 people in the last week only.
Among the fatalities, more than 1,500 people have been killed and over 11,200 have been injured while seeking humanitarian aid.
Moreover, mass starvation and malnutrition due to Israeli aid restrictions have killed 193 people, including 96 children, according to the ministry on Wednesday.
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