Key Points

Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the prime minister’s proposal to bring about Hamas’s defeat on August 8. Under the plan, the IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City—Hamas’s last remaining stronghold in the Strip and the base from which it directs its operations. At the same time, the IDF will begin evacuating civilians from northern Gaza and Gaza City to the southern part of the Strip.

The Cabinet also adopted five principles for ending the war: disarming Hamas; returning all hostages—living and dead; demilitarizing the Strip; establishing Israeli security control in Gaza; and creating an alternative civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

To date, most Palestinian responses to the Cabinet’s decision have come from the Palestinian Authority. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas held a series of phone calls with King Abdullah of Jordan, and the Egyptian president and Turkish presidents in an effort to thwart the Israeli plan and lay the groundwork for the PA to assume full control over Gaza on the “day after.”  In parallel, the PA launched an international campaign to oppose the plan. The PA’s UN representative participated in an emergency Security Council session convened at its request.

These efforts are expected to intensify in the lead-up to the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Several Western states are expected to announce their recognition of Palestine as a state at the General Assembly. According to one report, Abbas is considering using the opportunity to officially declare a Palestinian state.

Hamas issued an official condemnation, warning Israel of the heavy price it would pay. A Hamas official claimed the decision is intended to pressure the organization into making concessions at the negotiating table. In Gaza, the public response has been muted—dominated by fear and uncertainty about the future. In Judea and Samaria, no major demonstrations or protest marches toward IDF friction points have taken place so far, but such scenarios may emerge once the IDF operation in Gaza begins.

The Political-Security Cabinet’s Decision

After more than ten hours of deliberations that concluded in the early morning hours of August 8, the Security Cabinet approved the prime minister’s proposal to defeat Hamas. The IDF will prepare to seize Gaza City, while humanitarian assistance will be provided to civilians outside the combat zones. The evacuation of civilians from Gaza City is to be completed by October 7, 2025.

The Cabinet also formally adopted five guiding principles for ending the war: Hamas must be disarmed; all hostages—both living and deceased—must be returned; the Strip must be demilitarized; Israel will maintain security control over Gaza; and an alternative civilian administration must be established, one that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.[1]

Al Jazeera covered the Cabinet decision in its evening broadcast on August 8. The program presented a possible IDF assault scenario beginning from the east of Gaza City toward its center, and from the northern part of the Strip toward the same area. The channel also aired images published in Israel showing IDF force concentrations around Gaza. According to Al Jazeera’s military commentator, the move amounts to “psychological warfare” aimed at pressuring Palestinian factions to return to the negotiating table.[2]

Palestinian Authority Reactions

In response to Israel’s decision to retake the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Abbas held separate phone calls with King Abdullah of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on August 8–9, 2025. He thanked them for their political support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. Abbas described the Israeli decision as a “new crime” coming on top of “Israeli crimes” in the West Bank and Jerusalem and said the move must be immediately called off. He emphasized that the PA leadership would continue its diplomatic efforts at all levels, including appeals to the UN Security Council, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to rally regional and international opposition to the plan. Abbas also stressed the importance of transferring full responsibility for Gaza’s governance to the PA.[3]

Abbas’s spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, warned that Israel’s decision to reoccupy the Strip—along with its efforts to annex the West Bank and Judaize Jerusalem—would not bring security or stability to anyone. He reiterated that Gaza is an inseparable part of the Palestinian state and called on the UN Security Council to grant the PA full responsibility for governance of the Strip.[4]

An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held at the PA’s request on August 10. During the session, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour delivered a sharply critical speech condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza. He claimed that Israel’s real aim is the destruction of the Palestinian people, and that it does not care about the fate of the hostages, as evidenced by its decision to reoccupy the Strip. Mansour called on the international community to escalate efforts to end the war.[5]

An editorial published on August 10 in the official PA daily Al-Hayat al-Jadida expressed harsh criticism of Hamas’s conduct. According to the piece, Hamas has refused to disarm and to return all hostages in a single phase—measures that could have averted the Israeli plan to retake the Strip. Despite knowing the devastating consequences such an operation would bring, including thousands of Palestinian casualties, Hamas continues to cling to its “resistance” weapons after more than twenty-two months of war, the editorial stated.[7]

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry reported that it has launched a diplomatic campaign targeting key international decision-makers following Israel’s announcement. The ministry also warned of the dangers to civilians and called for immediate international intervention to protect them and bring about an immediate ceasefire.[8]

In an interview with Al-Qahera News, Palestinian Foreign Minister Farsin Shaheen described the Israeli plan as an attempt to drive mass emigration from Gaza. She called on the international community to intervene to block the plan.[9]

Hamas Reactions

Hamas issued an official statement on August 8, describing the Israeli government’s decision as a “war crime.” The group warned that Israel would pay a heavy price and declared that the Palestinian people and the resistance would not surrender. It also held the U.S. administration fully responsible for the consequences of the war due to its political and military backing of Israel.[10]

A Hamas source told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel’s invasion plan was intended to exert pressure on Hamas and extract concessions at the negotiating table. If the plan proceeds, the source said, Hamas would wage a war of attrition inside Gaza.

Public Sentiment in Gaza

A group of public figures, academics, and clan leaders in Gaza issued a statement on August 9 calling on Hamas to transfer governance of the Strip to an Arab committee led by Egypt. This transitional body, they proposed, would manage Gaza until it could be fully handed over to the Palestinian Authority. The goal, they said, was to save what remains of Gaza and prevent the mass displacement of thousands of residents to the south.[11]

Gaza residents interviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat said they were afraid and unable to sleep at night following Israel’s decision to reoccupy the Strip. Many expressed uncertainty about what would happen or how events would unfold. Some said that nothing remains of Gaza—everything has been reduced to rubble and dust.[12]

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[1] https://x.com/IsraeliPM_heb/status/1953645399891120210

https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM_heb/status/1953645401489244417

[2]https://www.google.com/search?q=%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84+%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9&sca_esv=a9727471058cd7c3&udm=7&biw=1024&bih=468&source=lnt&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A8%2F8%2F2025%2Ccd_max%3A8%2F10%2F2025&tbm=#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:b6bd90f6,vid:QH127_NEKtU,st:0

[3] https://www.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127458

https://www.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127459

https://www.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127539

[4] https://www.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127519

[5] https://www.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127617

[6]https://news.un.org/ar/story/2025/08/1143169?_gl=1*mcnsod*_ga*MTE4MDg4OTEyMi4xNzU0ODkyMTM3*_ga_TK9BQL5X7Z*czE3NTQ4OTIxMzYkbzEkZzAkdDE3NTQ4OTIxMzYkajYwJGwwJGgw

[7] https://www.alhaya.ps/ar/Article/169204/%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A7-%E2%80%A6

[8]https://www.aa.com.tr/ar/%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B0%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%A4%D9%83%D8%AF-%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%8A-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A7/3653757

[9] https://alqaheranews.net/news/137402/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7

[10] https://palinfo.com/news/2025/08/10/967062/

[11]https://www.wafa.ps/pages/details/127508

[12] https://aawsat.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A/5173393-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D9%87%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85-%D9%88%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84

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