EditIsraeli strikes in Gaza: strategic escalation amid territorial ambitions
Confining Palestinians to 25% of the Gaza territory would exacerbate humanitarian crises
On 25 May, Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 30 Palestinians, including a senior rescue service official, Ashraf Abu Nar, and a local journalist, Hassan Majdi Abu Warda, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The strikes, targeting Khan Younis, Jabalia, and Nuseirat, underscore Israel’s intensifying military campaign, which, according to a recent Wall Street Journal scoop, aligns with a strategic push to control 75% of Gaza’s territory while confining Palestinians to the remaining 25%.
This escalation, set against the backdrop of faltering ceasefire negotiations and Israel’s stated goal of dismantling Hamas, raises critical questions about the feasibility of peace, the humanitarian toll, and the long-term implications of Israel’s territorial ambitions.
The strikes: tactical precision or civilian catastrophe?
Sunday’s airstrikes reflect Israel’s ongoing strategy of targeting both Hamas infrastructure and key civilian figures, with devastating consequences.
In Jabalia, an airstrike killed journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several family members, bringing the total number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023 to 220, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run media office.
In Nuseirat, Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in Gaza’s civil emergency service, and his wife perished in their home. Additionally, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that two of its staff members, Ibrahim Eid and Ahmad Abu Hilal, were killed in a Khan Younis strike on Saturday, highlighting the growing toll on humanitarian workers.
The Gaza media office claims that Israel now controls 77% of the Strip through ground operations, evacuation orders, and bombardments that prevent residents from returning home. These actions align with the Wall Street Journal report, which cites Israeli officials’ plans to secure three-quarters of Gaza’s territory, relegating Palestinians to a densely packed 25% -primarily urban areas like Rafah and parts of Gaza City. This territorial strategy appears designed to weaken Hamas’s operational capacity while reshaping Gaza’s demographic and geographic landscape, potentially to facilitate long-term Israeli control or annexation.
Israel’s strategic calculus: dismantling Hamas or redrawing Gaza?
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, visiting troops in Khan Younis on Sunday, framed the campaign as a finite operation aimed at dismantling Hamas’s command and control, recovering hostages, and ending the group’s rule in Gaza.
“This is not an endless war,” Zamir declared, asserting that Hamas has lost most of its assets. Friday’s strikes, which hit 75 targets including weapons storage and rocket launchers, reflect Israel’s focus on degrading Hamas’s military capabilities. However, the Wall Street Journal scoop suggests a broader objective: territorial consolidation that could fundamentally alter Gaza’s future.
By controlling 75% of Gaza, Israel could limit Hamas’s ability to operate while creating buffer zones or settlement areas, a move that echoes historical Israeli strategies in the West Bank.
Confining Palestinians to 25% of the territory- already one of the world’s most densely populated regions – would exacerbate humanitarian crises, with aid groups reporting widespread malnutrition and over 53,900 Palestinian deaths since October 2023. The ICRC’s condemnation of the “intolerable civilian death toll” and its call for a ceasefire underscore the dire consequences of this approach, particularly for non-combatants, journalists, and aid workers.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s response: guerrilla resistance
Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s armed wings claimed responsibility for ambushes and attacks on Israeli forces, using bombs and anti-tank rockets across Gaza. These operations, though limited compared to Israel’s overwhelming military advantage, signal ongoing resistance and the challenges of fully dismantling Hamas.
The group’s ability to conduct such attacks, even in areas under Israeli control, suggests that territorial dominance alone may not neutralize Hamas’s operational capacity. This dynamic complicates Israel’s stated goals and raises questions about the sustainability of its strategy, particularly if it fuels further radicalization among Gaza’s population.
Ceasefire prospects: derailed by territorial ambitions?
The Wall Street Journal report casts a shadow over ceasefire negotiations, which have repeatedly stalled since the war’s onset following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 hostages.
Israel’s territorial plan, if implemented, would likely be a non-starter for Palestinian negotiators, who view Gaza’s integrity as non-negotiable. The targeting of civilian infrastructure and personnel, such as journalists and rescue workers, further erodes trust in Israel’s commitment to a negotiated resolution. The ICRC’s urgent call for a ceasefire, echoed by Gaza’s health authorities, highlights the international community’s growing alarm, yet Israel’s focus on territorial control suggests a prioritisation of strategic gains over diplomatic progress.
Humanitarian and geopolitical implications
The reported plan to confine Palestinians to 25% of Gaza risks creating a humanitarian catastrophe. With 77% of the Strip already under Israeli control, displaced populations face severe overcrowding, limited access to aid, and heightened vulnerability to strikes. The deaths of humanitarian workers and journalists further restrict Gaza’s ability to document its plight or deliver relief, amplifying the crisis. Geopolitically, Israel’s actions could strain relations with allies like the United States, which has called for restraint, and embolden regional critics, potentially destabilizing the broader Middle East.
With Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, edited by g.g.
Caption: Tents of Internally displaced Palestinians who fled from the northern Gaza Strip are set up next to the beach in the west of Gaza City, 25 May 2025. [EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED SABER]
Updated: May 26, 2025 - 06:32
