Israel’s defense minister said Wednesday that Israeli forces will remain indefinitely in large swaths of Gaza seized during the war, reinforcing fears that the military intends to make permanent territorial gains and impose a long-term blockade despite mounting international alarm over the humanitarian crisis.
“The IDF will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and [Israeli] communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza—as in Lebanon and Syria,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz. “Unlike in the past, the IDF is not evacuating areas that have been cleared and seized.”
Katz said Israel has added “tens of per cent” of Gaza to its control since operations resumed on March 18 and that the military will maintain those zones to protect Israeli communities. The military has now designated approximately 30% of Gaza as an “operational security perimeter.”
The announcement follows the collapse of a temporary ceasefire deal, the re-escalation of Israeli military operations, and the continuation of a full blockade on food, medicine, and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip—policies the United Nations and aid organizations say are pushing the enclave toward total collapse.
“Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population,” Katz said Wednesday.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said the blockade has “turned [Gaza] into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance.” In a statement, Amande Bazerolle, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, warned, “We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population in Gaza.”
According to the UN, 69% of Gaza is now under Israeli military evacuation orders or designated as a no-go zone, including areas along the border with Israel and Egypt and the Wadi Gaza valley. The renewed offensive has displaced at least 500,000 more Palestinians in recent weeks, with many having already been forced to flee multiple times. Aid agencies say tents are no longer available for distribution, and malnutrition rates among children have sharply increased.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 1,650 people have been killed since March 18. At least 24 Palestinians were reported killed in strikes on Wednesday, including 10 members of the Hassouna family—mostly women and children. Among the dead was young writer and photographer Fatema Hassouna.
Israel has blocked all supplies from entering Gaza since March 2, claiming Hamas uses aid deliveries for strategic purposes. But United Nations agencies have strongly rejected Israeli government assertions that enough aid entered Gaza during the previous ceasefire. The UN says the blockade could breach international humanitarian law.
MSF reported it is facing shortages of antibiotics, surgical materials, medications for chronic illnesses, and even basic pain relief drugs. The group also condemned the killing of 15 emergency workers by Israeli forces last month, calling it “yet another example of the complete disregard shown by Israeli forces for the protection of humanitarian and medical workers.”
The continued siege has drawn increasingly extreme rhetoric from senior Israeli officials. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, “As long as our hostages are dying in the tunnels, there is no reason for a gram of food or aid to enter Gaza.” Culture Minister Miki Zohar added, “Only hellfire should be poured on the makers of terrorism until the last hostage returns from Gaza.”
Legal experts and humanitarian groups say the use of starvation as a weapon of war may constitute genocide. The International Court of Justice issued a provisional order in March requiring Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Critics say Israel has ignored the order. The International Criminal Court has previously issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes, including the imposition of the Gaza siege.
The Israeli government’s stated goal remains the destruction of Hamas and the recovery of remaining hostages. Yet public frustration is growing inside Israel, with families of hostages accusing the government of prioritizing military objectives over their loved ones’ lives.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Katz’s plan was an “illusion,” adding, “They promised that the hostages come before everything. In practice, however, Israel is choosing to seize territory before the hostages. There is one obvious, practical, solution and it is to release all of the hostages in one stage with an agreement, even at the cost of ending the war.”
A recent proposal by Israel for a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of half the remaining hostages and the disarmament of Hamas was rejected by the group, according to a senior Palestinian official. Hamas reiterated that any permanent ceasefire must include full Israeli withdrawal, lifting of the blockade, and guarantees for reconstruction. “Any truce lacking real guarantees for halting the war, achieving full withdrawal, lifting the blockade, and beginning reconstruction will be a political trap,” Hamas said Wednesday.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 51,025 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023 following Hamas’s attack on Israel, which left 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, some repeatedly. Many had returned to their home areas during the January ceasefire, only to flee again when Israel resumed its assault. The military has now cut off Rafah, a southern city near the Egyptian border, from neighboring Khan Younis, as Israeli forces push further into densely populated areas.
As the war continues with no end in sight, MSF called on Israel to “immediately lift the inhumane and deadly siege on Gaza, protect the lives of Palestinians and humanitarian and medical personnel, and for all parties to restore and sustain the cease-fire.”
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