The Israeli government has approved a full occupation plan for Gaza, aiming to destroy the enclave, deport its population and privatise humanitarian aid. Behind the security rhetoric lies a colonial project endorsed by the far-right and tolerated by Western powers. An investigation into an openly announced campaign of ethnic cleansing.
A Plan Named “Chariots of Gideon”
On 5 May 2025, Israel approved a new military phase in the Gaza Strip: Operation “Chariots of Gideon.” The plan involves permanent occupation of the entire territory, military control over remaining areas, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians towards the already overcrowded and devastated south.
This is no longer a war on Hamas—it is a demographic reengineering, a de facto annexation, a premeditated erasure. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared bluntly: “Gaza must be completely destroyed.” A statement that, in any other context, would trigger a summons to The Hague. Here, it becomes official doctrine.
Humanitarian Aid Privatised: Cynicism as Policy
The Israeli plan also stipulates that humanitarian aid will no longer be handled by the UN or NGOs, but by private companies under Israeli oversight and with American assistance. Famine becomes a strategic variable. Those who comply receive. The rest starve.
This militarisation of aid is embedded in a neoliberal logic of outsourced war and subcontracted misery. American firms like Palantir, already involved in Israeli intelligence, are reportedly managing logistics and biometric selection of beneficiaries. Aid becomes a tool for ethnic sorting.
Depopulating Gaza: Exile as the Final Solution
In an interview cited by The Guardian, Smotrich explicitly stated the goal of pushing Gazans into exile in “third countries.” What was once hidden behind security rationales is now openly claimed as political horizon. The goal is no longer to neutralise Hamas, but to erase Gaza as a populated Palestinian entity.
This plan is not new. Far-right Israeli think tanks have long advocated for the “voluntary transfer” of Palestinians. What has changed is the context: widespread destruction, absence of international pressure, and the tacit complicity of Arab regimes focused on their own stability.
Western Silence, Guaranteed Complicity
Faced with this escalation, Western chancelleries remain awkwardly silent. Neither Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen nor Joe Biden condemned Smotrich’s remarks or the planned occupation. Washington continues supplying weapons. Brussels praises Israel’s “resilience.” International law? It only applies to NATO’s enemies.
This silence amounts to approval. It exposes the hypocrisy of Western democracies, quick to denounce Russian war crimes yet unwilling to name those of their Israeli ally. This double standard annihilates moral credibility and fuels global resentment.
International Law Trampled
According to the Geneva Conventions, an occupying power may not destroy civilian infrastructure or forcibly displace populations. The UN has raised the alarm, describing Israel’s plan as a serious violation of humanitarian law. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch speak of a “creeping ethnic cleansing.”
To no avail. Israel acts with the certainty of impunity. Its officials face no sanctions, no prosecution. International institutions are paralysed by Western vetoes. Meanwhile, the bombings continue, children die of thirst, and bulldozers move forward.
A Manufactured Famine
Over 70% of the Gaza Strip is now either under direct Israeli control or subject to evacuation orders. Food supplies are exhausted. Hospitals have ceased to function. Doctors Without Borders reports a “total collapse.” The UN fears a massive famine in the coming weeks.
“Every day I must choose which child gets the last milk sachet. It’s inhuman.” — Volunteer nurse, Khan Younis
“Aid trucks are blocked. Drones buzz all night. People dig in rubble for scraps.” — Red Crescent volunteer
This famine is not accidental. It is engineered, planned, orchestrated. By limiting aid entry, bombing convoys, and obstructing neutral organisations, Israel is wielding hunger as a weapon. A medieval siege strategy in a modern war.
Palestinians Are Not Fleeing – They Resist
Despite this campaign of annihilation, Gazans endure. They do not flee. They bury their dead and live among ruins. They testify, film, write, denounce. They resist erasure.
Hamas, though weakened, still refuses surrender without guarantees. United resistance factions are regrouping amid chaos. But Gaza’s true strength lies in its people—a population targeted for removal, starvation, and oblivion, yet still standing. Because it is their land, their sea, their sky.
“I have no house left. My son was killed. But I will not leave. Gaza is my life, even under the bombs.” — Resident of Deir al-Balah
Conclusion: A Warning for Humanity
What’s at stake in Gaza goes beyond the Middle East. It is a mirror. A mirror reflecting how far humanity is willing to tolerate dehumanisation in the name of strategic alliances. If we allow this, we consent to a modern state orchestrating a people’s disappearance live, in full view, without consequence.
Gaza has become a test. A test of our humanity. And so far, we are failing…
G.S.
