With Donald Trump’s victory in the recent U.S. elections, the Israeli government appears to be formalizing a genocidal policy toward Gaza, a plan it had previously avoided official acknowledgment of due to concerns over potential sanctions from the Biden administration. However, with Trump’s return to office, the Benjamin Netanyahu administration seems emboldened to pursue this course, which it has been implementing de facto.
The Netanyahu government has allegedly begun enacting the “Generals’ Plan,” a strategy aimed at dividing northern Gaza into two zones, establishing a military blockade in one part, and labeling civilians who refuse to leave as “Hamas militants,” effectively legitimizing their targeting.
According to a report on Israeli state television KAN, a senior military official disclosed that a new corridor will be created in northern Gaza, cutting Gaza City off from Beit Lahiya and Jibaliya.
Humanitarian aid will be prohibited from entering these isolated zones, and displaced Palestinians will not be permitted to return to these areas “for the time being.”
On October 6, the Israeli army escalated ground attacks on Jibaliya and Beit Lahiya, continuing its restrictions on aid access and forcibly displacing residents. More than 1,800 Palestinians have reportedly lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced since these renewed military actions.
These measures align with the objectives of the Generals’ Plan, which aims to expel Palestinians from northern Gaza, enforce a siege, and deny basic necessities—food, fuel, and clean water—to residents who remain. The Israeli government, mindful of potential backlash from the Biden administration and the prospect of an arms embargo, has previously denied implementing this plan. However, buoyed by Trump’s election, Netanyahu’s administration may feel empowered to pursue this agenda more openly.
Giora Eiland, the plan’s architect, shared further details of this policy with the Associated Press (AP). According to Eiland, Palestinians would be given one week to vacate northern Gaza, including Gaza City. Following this period, the area would be declared a closed military zone, where access to essential resources—food, water, medicine, and fuel—would be completely blocked. Those who remain in the zone would be designated as “militants”, thus facing life-threatening consequences.
