Escalation of the War of Annihilation… in Service of Settlement

It is striking in recent weeks to see the escalation of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, and the rising number of martyrs due to the intensive bombing targeting various parts of the Strip, despite nearly nine months having passed since the ceasefire agreement. At the same time, humanitarian conditions are deteriorating unprecedentedly, amid stalled Cairo negotiations regarding the disarmament of Hamas and the transition to the second phase of the agreement.Every night in Gaza, the same tragedy repeats itself. A phone call lasting no more than a minute is presented as a “warning,” but in reality, it means that dozens of families will leave their homes in panic, instantly becoming displaced persons without shelter, spreading out over what remains of cramped spaces and carrying what belongings they can. Then comes the bombing, and the house is destroyed, as if that minute is enough to save lives, preserve dignity, or provide shelter for those who have been displaced.Conversely, Hamas has not been able to seize the opportunity to stop the bloodshed and remove the pretexts Israel uses to continue its war. The continued stalemate in negotiations allows the Israeli government to proceed with its declared goals, foremost among them establishing military control over the Gaza Strip, expanding what is known as the “Yellow Line,” and remaining in the northern part of the Strip, leading to the preparation for establishing new settlements. These goals are no longer limited to leaks or speculations but are now clearly appearing in statements by senior Israeli officials.In this context, Israeli Channel 14 quoted Defense Minister Yisrael Katz as saying that the next phase in the Gaza Strip will be determined by the extent of Hamas's commitment to its pledge of disarmament and dismantling, adding that if it becomes clear that the movement has not fulfilled this commitment, Israel will move to new field steps, including a “geographical maneuver” and a direct military operation.Katz said: “We may reach a stage where it becomes clear that Hamas has not adhered to its commitment to dismantle, and then there will also be a geographical maneuver, as well as a kinetic operation.” This statement implies that the “geographical maneuver” means expanding Israeli control over additional areas within the Gaza Strip, in parallel with military operations targeting the movement.Channel analysts linked these statements to the plan to establish three Nahal settlement nuclei in the northern Gaza Strip, considering that the announcement of Hamas's non-compliance with disarmament conditions could be the turning point from the threat phase to the implementation of practical steps on the ground, including expanding military control and launching the project of these nuclei.Military correspondent Hillel Bitton Rosen said that the channel had revealed about six months ago the idea of establishing three nuclei in northern Gaza, explaining that he could not confirm that the plan had become a final decision, but it is still on the political level, and the possibility of taking initial steps before the elections is now present. He suggested that the government might seek to market this step as an electoral achievement if it is unable to declare the complete elimination of Hamas or enforce its disarmament.These assessments, issued by analysts on Channel 14, known for its proximity to the Israeli right and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reflect a reading that goes beyond the military dimension, linking the continued pressure on Hamas to accept disarmament with the use of this issue in the election campaign. It also intersects with the goals of Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich, whose party's poll numbers have begun to show around six seats after being threatened with not passing the electoral threshold, at a time when settlement activity in the occupied West Bank is experiencing accelerated activity and funding, reflecting the government's direction towards solidifying its settlement project.This discourse does not hide the Israeli right's ambition to re-establish settlements in the northern Gaza Strip, especially since the discussion revolves around Nahal nuclei. Although Nahal is known as a unit in the Israeli army, since its establishment in the 1950s, it has played a pivotal role in the settlement project, combining military service with the establishment of settlements and agricultural and security outposts, and contributed to the establishment of a large number of settlements within historical Palestine and then in the occupied Palestinian territories after 1967.Therefore, invoking Nahal in the context of discussing Gaza does not seem to be merely a military detail but carries clear political and settlement implications. The re-introduction of this project in the media and politically suggests that the Israeli government is gradually working to prepare Israeli public opinion to accept the idea of re-establishing settlements in parts of the Gaza Strip, taking advantage of the ongoing war, stalled negotiations, and approaching elections, so that military escalation becomes a means not only to pressure Hamas but also to impose new geographical and political realities that may be difficult to reverse in the future.Hence, these statements do not appear to be mere media stances or electoral messages but reflect a political direction that intersects with the ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip, which prompts a reading of the escalation from an angle that goes beyond its declared goals.However, what is happening cannot be read as merely a military escalation linked to stalled negotiations or an attempt to increase pressure on Hamas. Field developments, along with Israeli political discourse, indicate that the war goes beyond its declared goals to fall within a broader project based on reshaping the geography and demography of the Gaza Strip.The continued intensive bombing, systematic destruction of residential neighborhoods, repeated evacuation orders, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from one area to another are not merely consequences of the war but are gradually turning into a policy in themselves. It is a policy based on making life in large parts of the Strip impossible, thereby pushing residents into permanent displacement, preventing them from returning to their areas, and creating a new reality that can be built upon politically and securely.This is not separate from the continued military control over large areas of the Gaza Strip, nor from the expansion of what is known as the “Yellow Line,” nor from the repeated talk about establishing settlement nuclei in the northern part of the Strip. These elements seem interconnected within a single vision, where forced displacement is a means to redraw the map, while settlement becomes one of the goals that can be marketed internally as an achievement for the Israeli government, especially with the approaching elections.In this context, forced displacement does not seem to be an end in itself but a means to empty the land of its inhabitants in preparation for its reshaping. The settlement project does not begin with building settlements but begins with creating a reality that makes return very difficult, through systematic destruction, continued displacement, obstruction of reconstruction, and keeping large areas of the Strip under military control. Thus, the relationship between the war of annihilation and the escalating talk of re-settlement does not seem to be merely a relationship of synchronicity but a relationship of integration, where the former creates the field and demographic conditions that the latter needs.Hence, what is happening is not limited to a war aimed at eliminating Hamas or disarming it but goes beyond that to create conditions that prevent residents from returning to their areas and prevent their reconstruction, thereby opening the way for imposing new geographical and demographic realities. Every home destroyed, every neighborhood emptied of its residents, and every family forced to displace again and again, brings this project one step closer.Therefore, the escalation of the war of annihilation at this stage does not seem separate from the escalation of settlement discourse but forms part of the environment that the Israeli government seeks to produce. Ethnic cleansing, through forced displacement, destruction of livelihoods, and prevention of return, does not seem to be merely a side effect of the war but one of the paths that may, if continued, lead to the imposition of a new settlement reality in parts of the Gaza Strip, which explains the correlation between military escalation, talk of re-settlement, and the electoral exploitation of these policies within Israel.