Inside Story

Why is Israel moving to seize control of Gaza City?

Move would forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

The Israeli government says it’s going to seize control of Gaza City, install a different administration and try to eliminate Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said Israel planned to take over the entire Strip.

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The Israeli military already controls about 80 percent of Gaza. The more-than-two-million people living there have been bombed, starved, repeatedly displaced and forced into temporary shelters.

So, why did Israel make this announcement now?

Is the prime minister trying to appease the right-wing members of his cabinet?

Or is he trying to detract international condemnation of the man-made hunger crisis?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Dr Khamis Elessi – Neurorehabilitation and pain medicine consultant

Yossi Mekelberg – Senior consulting fellow at the MENA Programme of Chatham House

Phyllis Bennis – Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of Understanding Palestine and Israel

By Inside StoryPublished On 8 Aug 20258 Aug 2025