Eylon Levy defends Israel's 'creative' plan to capture Gaza | LBC debate

Israeli ministers have approved a plan to capture all of Gaza and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time.

Henry Riley hears from Eylon Levy, who was once a spokesman for the Israeli government.

Israel already controls roughly half of Gaza's territory, including a buffer zone along the border with Israel as well as three corridors that run east to west along the strip.

The new plan, which the officials said was meant to help Israel achieve its war aims of defeating Hamas and freeing hostages held in Gaza, also would push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, what would likely exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in mid-March, Israel has unleashed fierce strikes on the territory that have killed hundreds. It has captured swathes of territory and now controls roughly 50% of Gaza.

Before the truce ended, Israel halted all humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food, fuel and water, setting off what is believed to the be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war.

The ban on aid has prompted widespread hunger and shortages have set off looting.

The Israeli officials said the plan included the "capturing of the strip and the holding of territories".

The plan would also seek to prevent the militant Hamas group from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group's rule in Gaza.

It also accuses Hamas of keeping the aid for itself to bolsters its capabilities.

The plan also included powerful strikes against Hamas targets, the officials said.

The officials said Israel was in touch with several countries about President Donald Trump's plan to take over Gaza and relocate its population, under what Israel has termed "voluntary emigration" yet which has sparked condemnations from Israel's allies in Europe and the Arab world.

One of the officials said the plan would be implemented gradually.

For weeks, Israel has been trying to increase pressure on Hamas and prompt it to show more flexibility in ceasefire negotiations.

But international mediators trying to bring the sides towards a new deal have struggled to do so. Israel's measures do not appear to have moved Hamas away from its negotiating positions.

The previous ceasefire was meant to lead the sides to negotiate an end to the war, but that goal has been a repeated sticking point in talks between Israel and Hamas.

Israel says it will not agree to end the war until Hamas is defeated. Hamas meanwhile has demanded an agreement that winds down the war.

The Israeli officials did not disclose details on how the plan seeks to prevent Hamas from involvement in aid distribution. One said the ministers had approved "the option of aid distribution", without elaborating.

According to an internal memo circulated among aid groups and seen by the Associated Press, Israel told the United Nations that it will use private security companies to control aid distribution in Gaza.

The UN, in a statement on Sunday, said it would not participate in the plan as presented to it, saying it violates its core principles.

The memo, sent to aid organisations on Sunday, detailed notes from a meeting between the Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating aid to Gaza, Cogat, and the UN.

Under Cogat's plan, all aid will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, letting approximately 60 trucks enter daily and distributing 20kg of aid parcels directly to people on the day of entry, although their contents were unclear as was how many people will have access to the aid.

The memo said the aid will be distributed at logistics hubs, which will be run by private security companies. The memo said that facial recognition will be used to identify Palestinians at the hubs and SMS alerts will notify people in the area that they can collect aid.

The UN said the plan would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies. It said the plan "appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic - as part of a military strategy".

The memo says that the US government has voiced clear support for Israel's plan, but it is unclear who would provide funding for the private military companies or the aid.

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