Today's News: Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plan to Take Control of Gaza City
This decision faces widespread condemnation internationally from European and Arab leaders, with Germany suspending arms sales.
Photo: Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
Overview
Date: August 8, 2025
Topic: Israel’s Expanded War in Gaza and International Reaction
Summary: Israel’s security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand the war in Gaza by taking control of Gaza City, aiming to defeat Hamas and retrieve hostages. This decision faces widespread condemnation internationally from European and Arab leaders, with Germany suspending arms sales, and strong domestic opposition from Israeli hostage families and military officials who fear it endangers captives and worsens the severe humanitarian crisis. Critics argue the plan is politically motivated, militarily unsustainable, and will lead to further displacement and suffering for Palestinians, while Hamas views international recognition of a Palestinian state as a “fruit” of the conflict, hardening its negotiating stance.
Sources
The New York Times - Netanyahu, Aiming to Capture Gaza City, Risks Ending in Familiar Deadlock
CNN - Israel plans to expand the war in Gaza. Here’s what we know
NBC News - Israel’s Netanyahu faces wave of condemnation over plans to seize Gaza City
The Washington Post - Germany, long opposed to E.U. pressure on Israel, suspends arms shipments
The Wall Street Journal - Israel’s Plan to Expand War Raises Fears for Gazans, Hostages
An interesting side story in The New York Times: Marjorie Taylor Greene Pushes Back Against Criticism From AIPAC:
“Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, is pushing back against criticism from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee over her characterization last week of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a “genocide.” The group… called Ms. Greene’s position “a betrayal of American values” and said her posture was more in line with her ideological opposites.”
Key Points
Israeli Cabinet Decision: Israel’s security cabinet approved Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan to expand the war by taking control of Gaza City, with the stated goals of defeating Hamas and retrieving hostages. This plan includes Israel retaining “security control” over Gaza.
Widespread Opposition: The plan faces significant opposition both domestically and internationally. Hostage families, mothers of soldiers, and retired Israeli security officials protest the move, fearing it endangers captives and is militarily unsustainable.
International condemnation comes from European leaders, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, as well as Arab nations like Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
Humanitarian Crisis Concerns: Critics universally highlight the severe and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The expansion is expected to cause further mass displacement of Palestinians, exacerbate hunger and malnutrition, and strain the already devastated healthcare system.
Political Motivation: Several sources suggest Netanyahu’s decision to extend the war is driven by political needs, particularly to maintain his far-right coalition, overriding military advice that Hamas is sufficiently degraded or that diplomacy is preferable.
Hamas’s Stance: Hamas is described as having a long-term, strategic objective of jihad against Israel, aiming to prevent Israel from achieving its goals. The group has hardened its negotiating stance, viewing international recognition of a Palestinian state as a “fruit” of the October 7 attacks.
International Pressure & Aid: There is growing international pressure on Israel to end the conflict and allow unhindered humanitarian aid. Some European countries, notably Germany, are taking concrete steps like suspending arms exports, while others are pushing for diplomatic solutions and Palestinian state recognition.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times details the Israeli military’s internal struggles, noting that the army is depleted, fewer reservists are showing up, munitions and spare parts are running low, and there has been a rise in suicides among discharged soldiers. It also mentions that the plan to occupy Gaza could be a negotiating tactic to persuade Hamas to give up without a fight.
CNN provides specific details on Israel’s “five principles for ending the war,” which include disarming Hamas, returning hostages, demilitarization, Israeli security control, and the eventual establishment of a civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. It also specifies that the deadline for the first phase (Gaza City takeover) is October 7, intentionally marking the two-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack.
NBC News highlights the specific actions taken by European allies, such as Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz stating Germany would suspend military equipment exports that could be used in Gaza, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s direct call for Israel to reconsider. It also provides specific polling data on American public opinion, showing a plurality views Israel’s attacks on Gaza as “unjustified” and only 27% support Netanyahu.
Fox News offers a unique focus on Hamas’s long-term “endgame” and strategic objectives, citing experts like Jonathan Conricus and Khaled Abu Toameh. It explicitly states that senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad views the initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state as “one of the fruits of October 7,” and that this recognition has emboldened Hamas and hardened its negotiating stance.
The Washington Post provides more depth on the European Union’s internal dynamics and struggles to pressure Israel, noting that Germany and Italy are holding out on a partial freeze of Israeli access to an EU research fund. It also details that the EU’s deal with Israel in July to increase aid flow has failed, with aid groups reporting dozens of starvation deaths since then, and that Israel is denying EU humanitarian officials access for verification.
El País focuses on the direct impact on the healthcare system and medical personnel in Gaza, quoting Palestinian doctors and NGOs like Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and MedGlobal. It details the “deliberate attempt to completely destroy the Gaza healthcare system,” including arrests, forced disappearances, and abuse of medical personnel in Israeli prisons, such as beatings, sleep deprivation, and physical/mental/sexual violence. It also mentions that “all the directors of medical centers in northern Gaza have been arrested or killed.”
Contrasting Details
Aid Blame: While NBC News and The Washington Post report that Israel blames Hamas for diverting aid and the United Nations or other groups for the lack of food, The Washington Post also states that United Nations and European Union officials dispute this claim. El País further suggests that the dire humanitarian situation is a “deliberate attempt to dismantle life as such” and destroy the healthcare system, implying Israeli responsibility.
US Stance: CNN states that key Israeli ally the United States has “effectively already given its approval” for the expansion, with President Trump saying it’s “up to Israel.” NBC News also quotes U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee saying it’s “not our job to tell them what they should or should not do.” However, The Washington Post implies a more nuanced U.S. position by noting that some European governments are “wary of diverging too far from the United States or drawing the ire of President Donald Trump, who has stood by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” suggesting Trump’s stance is a factor but not necessarily universal U.S. approval for every action.
Purpose of Gaza City Takeover: The New York Times suggests that the discussion of occupation could be a negotiating tactic to persuade Hamas to give up without a fight. In contrast, Fox News presents the takeover as a direct response to Hamas torpedoing U.S.-mediated negotiations, implying a punitive military objective rather than solely a negotiation leverage tactic.
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