Israel’s security cabinet has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal for the army to retake Gaza City, a move that escalates the 22-month war with Hamas. A statement from Netanyahu’s office early Friday outlined five conditions for ending the conflict: the disarmament of Hamas, the return of all remaining hostages, the complete demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, continued Israeli security control, and the establishment of a post-war civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials told Axios and domestic media that the military is preparing to surround Gaza City, evacuate its roughly one million residents to central camps by 7 October and distribute humanitarian aid outside combat zones before launching a renewed ground assault. Channel 12 reported that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir questioned the feasibility of combining a large-scale operation with efforts to rescue captives, warning that the evacuation itself would be complex. Hamas rejected the plan. Senior figure Osama Hamdan said the group would regard any Arab or international force installed under Israeli terms as an occupying power and vowed to continue armed resistance until a sovereign Palestinian state is established. He added that Hamas is willing to conduct a “comprehensive” prisoner exchange—releasing all hostages in one batch—if Israel halts its offensive and withdraws from Gaza. The impending operation risks aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023, while Israel says about 50 captives remain in the enclave, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.