Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unveiled a proposal on 28 August that would give Hamas an ultimatum to surrender, disarm and release remaining hostages or face the progressive annexation of the Gaza Strip by Israel. Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, the far-right minister said the plan could ‘win in Gaza by the end of the year’. Under the timetable laid out by Smotrich, Israel would annex one section of Gaza each week for four weeks if Hamas refuses to capitulate. Ahead of each step, Palestinian residents would be instructed to move south, after which Israeli forces would impose a siege on northern and central areas, halt humanitarian aid and tighten control over water, electricity and food supplies. If Hamas complies, Smotrich called for the group’s leadership to be exiled from the enclave, the “free emigration” of Gaza residents who choose to leave, and Israeli ‘operational control’ over the territory in perpetuity. He urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to adopt the plan immediately, framing it as the surest way to conclude the nearly two-year conflict that began with Hamas’s October 2023 attack.