Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to consider a measure that cuts all life support in northern Gaza, possibly cutting water, food and other rations for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, if it is to be implemented. Civilians, either unwilling to leave their homes or unable to, will suffer the most from the measure described by most to be an extreme measure against Hamas.

A group of retired Israeli generals has submitted a proposal that would squeeze the Palestinians in the northern third of Gaza, which will include Gaza City. People will be allowed to get out of the place in one week; after that the territory will be declared a closed military zone. They would be termed “combatants” and may be exposed to military response, such as being barred from receiving food, water, medicine, and fuel.

The plan involved leaving northern Gaza to Israel permanently in an attempt to create a Hamas-free new government, splitting Gaza into two.

 No Official Decision Yet

The Generals’ Plan” has been submitted to Netanyahu and the Israeli parliament, but it is not clear if seriously to be considered there or fully applied. According to an Israeli official close to this issue, the proposal was reviewed by Netanyahu, but an official decision has still not been made. An official noted that parts of the plan may already be in effect but didn’t say which parts.

Although Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani denied the evacuation orders were connected to the “Generals’ Plan,” relief organizations report that no food and water trucks or medicine trucks have been permitted in northern Gaza since September 30. Both the UN and Israeli agencies involved in coordinating relief activities across the corridors have confirmed that this supply has been halted.

 Humanitarian Needs and Respect for International Law

Human rights groups have expressed concern about the plan, believing that it may well lead to mass starvation and breach international law, since it bans the use of food as a weapon or the forced transfer of populations. Charges of an Israeli assault on Gaza food supplies have featured in a genocide case filed against the Israeli government at the International Court of Justice.

Many of the Gaza Palestinians from the north, elderly and ill and dreading permanent dislocation, refused to leave under the ultimatum. Many are terrified that there is no place to flee to in Gaza as even airstrikes have begun to strike the south where displaced populations are being herded into tent camps.

Jomana Elkhalili is 26 years old and works as an aid worker for Oxfam, living in Gaza City. “All Gazans are afraid of the plan, but they will not flee. They will not make the mistake again. We know there is no safe place.”.

Under the plan, shared with the Associated Press, if this strategy works out in northern Gaza, it may be extended to other locations, including southern tent camps, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians take shelter.

As the situation unfolds, international pressure grows on Israel to reevaluate the humanitarian implications of such a plan, critics have argued that it could hasten an already desperate humanitarian situation.

For more reporting like this, please follow Newsdecensored on your favorite social media sites and bookmark the website. Thank you for your interest and support.