In a year marked by relentless violence, Israel’s aggressive campaign against Gaza has taken a devastating toll, with over 42,000 Palestinian lives lost. As hostilities continue unabated, Israeli military leaders and right-wing politicians have turned to a new, controversial strategy—the so-called “Generals’ Plan,” which proposes the forced displacement and siege of northern Gaza.
This blueprint, endorsed by senior reservists, aims to dismantle Palestinian resistance by any means necessary, with no regard for the human cost.
A Sinister Strategy for Gaza’s Displacement
The Generals’ Plan, or Eiland Plan, was put forward by the Forum of Commanders and Soldiers in the Reserves, an Israeli NGO comprising over 1,500 military officers. Their approach signals a shift towards an even harsher military doctrine, one that openly advocates ethnic cleansing and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. The forum has criticized Israel’s existing tactics as ineffective and now pushes for a more brutal solution that could spell disaster for Gaza’s civilian population.
The architect of this plan, Giora Eiland, a retired general, is no stranger to controversy. Known for his hardline stance, Eiland has argued for tactics that would exacerbate the suffering of Palestinians.
He has openly suggested that humanitarian aid should be withheld until Hamas collapses, regardless of the widespread suffering such an approach would inflict. “Gaza must be completely destroyed,” Eiland declared, underscoring the ruthless disregard for Palestinian lives that permeates this plan.
Implementing a Siege: The Two-Stage Assault on Northern Gaza
The Generals’ Plan outlines a two-stage process. First, it demands the forced removal of Palestinians from northern Gaza—a goal Israel has pursued since last year. Israel’s military has set up fortified barriers and corridors to funnel displaced Palestinians southward, where they now face overcrowded conditions in makeshift shelters. Reports suggest that over 400,000 people remain trapped in northern Gaza, many of them repeatedly displaced and deprived of basic necessities.
The second phase of the plan envisions turning northern Gaza into a militarized wasteland. Israeli forces would enforce a complete blockade, cutting off food, water, and fuel, effectively weaponizing starvation. Anyone who remains in the region will be treated as an enemy combatant, and a propaganda video circulating online chillingly warns that those left behind face a simple choice: “surrender or starve.”
Legal Justifications or War Crimes?
The proponents of this plan have attempted to justify it under international law, drawing tenuous comparisons to historical sieges. However, human rights groups have condemned it as a gross violation of humanitarian principles. The expulsion of Gaza’s population, long championed by Israel’s right-wing leaders, amounts to a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Israeli ministers like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir have repeatedly called for the removal of Palestinians from their homeland. Echoing this sentiment, Avi Dichter, Israel’s agriculture minister, has disturbingly suggested that Gaza should suffer another Nakba—a repeat of the 1948 mass expulsion that uprooted hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Outcry from Human Rights Organizations
The Generals’ Plan has drawn international condemnation, with human rights groups and aid organizations voicing grave concerns. In Israel, groups such as B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights have warned that this plan’s forced displacement strategy constitutes a war crime. International organizations, including Oxfam and Christian Aid, have described the unfolding situation in Gaza as “atrocious,” calling for immediate intervention to halt Israel’s war machine.
“This is not an evacuation; this is forced displacement under gunfire,” said a coalition of aid organizations. Reports from the ground indicate that Israel’s military is already implementing aspects of this plan. Israeli soldiers in Gaza have spoken out, describing orders to enforce the evacuation with violence and starvation. These accounts reveal a coldly calculated effort to depopulate Gaza and further entrench Israeli control over the territory.
A Pretext for Permanent Occupation?
Critics argue that Israel’s actions in Gaza are part of a broader strategy to cement a permanent occupation. Assaf David, a researcher at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, believes that Israel’s intensification of its military campaign in Gaza aligns with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political interests. Netanyahu, facing mounting scandals and potential prosecution, may see perpetual conflict as a means of deflecting scrutiny and consolidating power.
David also warns that there is no viable long-term plan for Gaza beyond the current cycle of violence and devastation. The unchecked aggression, he suggests, reflects a dangerous disregard for Palestinian lives and a lack of accountability. “There is no plan for Gaza, no way out,” he said, emphasizing that Israel’s leaders have no interest in genuine peace or security for the Palestinian people.
The Generals’ Plan is a condensation of century-long colonial policy. Haifa, Yafa, Askalan, Tyberias, and West Jerusalem all used to be northern Gaza. Today, the southern Hebron hills and the Jordan Valley, where Palestinians are not allowed to build or graze and are attacked by Israeli settlers, are a less intense version of northern Gaza. The Bedouin villages in the Naqab, which are unrecognized by the state of Israel and live under the constant threat of demolition, are yet another version of northern Gaza.
The inaction of world governments, especially the U.S., to stop the realization of the Generals’ Plan in Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia suggests that these governments endorse the plan and its larger strategy of genocidal ethnic cleansing.
The only thing standing in the way of the Generals’ Plan is the decision of more than 200,000 Palestinians to stay in the north and refuse displacement, despite the bombs, drone attacks, hunger, and brutal siege. The clash of these two wills is the essence of the war for Palestine since 1948.
