Israeli ministers urge Netanyahu to expel north Gaza civilians

A group of 27 Israeli ministers and members of the Knesset are calling for the Israeli Prime Minister to expel civilians in northern Gaza to the south, according to them, scope out remaining Hamas members.

In a letter to Benjamin Netanyahu and the national security cabinet, the ministers are calling for a plan to transfer all civilians in the region to the south to "cleanse" the territory of Hamas.

The plan in question is called the "General's Plan" and has four stages.

The first stage is transferring the civilian population in North Gaza to the Netzarim corridor, initiating a siege. Stage two is pronouncing the region as a "closed military zone," and the third stage is preventing aid from entering the area until it is "cleansed" and the remaining members are defeated by applying "intense" military pressure. The final stage is conducting the same method in other areas of the enclave.

The letter does not state whether civilians would be allowed to return to the northern territory and who would govern the area.

The officials say the plan is necessary to prevent Hamas from continuing its control and by taking control of aid distribution. The group also add the plan was "implementable" according to international law.

Israel's war on Gaza has led to a displacement crisis, with around 1.9 million people having been displaced in the enclave, often multiple times, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

The contact evacuation orders since October have caused many Gazans to flee once again.

From June till August, Israel has ordered multiple evacuations in different parts of the Gaza Strip, including Shujaiya, the al-Moghazi refugee camp and Deir el-Balah.

Many residents have refused to evacuate, stating there is nowhere safe in Gaza. Despite being ordered to move to designated "safe zones", Israel either orders fresh evacuation orders or attacks the region.

The Israeli army has also been conducting reinvasions, especially in Gaza's Shujaiya, under the guise of scoping out and destroying Hamas.

Gazans are then left with nothing, with Israel devastating regions, for example, in Khan Younis, where much of the area is now in ruins after months of bombardment by Israel's air force and military.