GAZA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli security cabinet's approval of a plan to control Gaza City has stirred anxiety and anger among residents of the coastal enclave, who have endured nearly two years of blockade and continuous bombardment amid deteriorating living conditions.
On Thursday night, the Israeli security cabinet approved the military plan to take control of Gaza City and surrounding areas, a move Palestinian analysts described as an unprecedented escalation that could change the course of the 22-month conflict.
Along the narrow strip, home to more than 2 million people, residents are waiting to see how the plan will be implemented, fearing it could trigger more displacement or intensify the blockade that has been in place since the current war began in 2023.
Mohammed Abed, 45, a displaced resident from the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, told Xinhua, "At a time when we are hungry, we are surprised that Israel says it wants to occupy Gaza, while we are already under occupation."
"The occupation is exercising all its arrogance against us: hunger, siege, and threats. We are tired of this war -- two years of hunger and closure," he said.
Mahmoud Awadallah, 50, a father of eight, said Gaza has, in fact, been under occupation for years. "We've been under siege for 667 days, with no food or drinkable water. My child wakes up at night wanting to eat or drink, and I have nothing to offer him."
Saeed al-Nims, 46, displaced from Beit Hanoun, said the deteriorating humanitarian situation is already severe. "Gaza is destroyed, and if they occupy it, where will the people go? The space is narrow, and people are already crowded together."
He warned that implementing the Israeli plan could deepen the humanitarian crisis, leaving residents with few options, either remain under Israeli control in difficult conditions or face forced displacement.
The Palestinian presidency condemned Israel's decision, saying it would immediately appeal to the UN Security Council to halt it.
In a press statement released by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the presidency warned that Israeli plans based on killing, starvation, and forced displacement would lead to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
The statement stressed that the Palestinian people would not accept the imposition of facts by force and remain committed to their inalienable national rights, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
It said the State of Palestine would conduct urgent contacts with international parties, while also calling for emergency meetings of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League to coordinate a unified position to protect the Palestinian people and end the "aggression."
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also announced an intensive international campaign to warn of the dangers of Israel's plan.
In a press release, the ministry warned that the plan could accelerate "mass killings" through bombardment, deepen famine, and trigger the forced displacement of more than 1 million Palestinians into less than 10 percent of the Gaza Strip's area.
Meanwhile, Hamas warned that Israel's decision to take control of Gaza City would come at a high cost.
In a press statement, Hamas said the move would not be a "walk in the park" and described it as a new "war crime" against the city and its nearly 1 million residents.
It accused Israel of abandoning negotiations that were close to achieving a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, and said the movement remained ready to reach a comprehensive deal to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for ending hostilities and withdrawing Israeli forces.
Israel launched its large-scale military operation in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, after a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Gaza's health authorities said Friday that at least 9,824 Palestinians have been killed and 40,318 injured since Israel renewed intensive strikes on March 18, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 61,330, with 152,359 wounded. ■
