Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has described the planned occupation of Gaza City as a“deadly trap,” warning that it could politically benefit Hamas and result in the deaths of Israeli hostages.

Barak said the move, approved by the Israeli government on August 8, would not secure the release of hostages, who he said would likely be killed during the operation. He criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming he is driving Israel into a dangerous gamble and bears primary responsibility for the country's current crisis.

“The time has come to speak the truth clearly about the rush to enter Gaza, which the Chief of Staff described as a death trap,” Barak said. He added that Hamas would exploit the situation to deepen Israel's international crisis.

Barak further stated that Netanyahu has lost the support of the majority of Israeli citizens, and warned that the occupation could turn his political defeat into a victory for Hamas.

The Israeli plan calls for moving into previously untouched areas of Gaza, aiming to control key zones within the city and surrounding sectors, while allegedly distributing humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones. The plan comes despite warnings from Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir about the operation's risks.

During the ongoing Israeli campaign, the army had previously occupied almost all of Gaza City for several months, before withdrawing from most areas in April 2024 after declaring it had“destroyed Hamas infrastructure.” Remaining parts of the central Gaza Strip, including Deir al-Balah and refugee camps such as Nuseirat, Maghazi, and Bureij, were not fully occupied but suffered extensive destruction from air and artillery strikes, according to Palestinian officials.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with U.S. support, has conducted what has been described as a genocidal campaign in Gaza, including killings, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring international appeals and International Court of Justice orders to stop.

The toll of the campaign includes 62,064 killed and 156,573 injured, mostly women and children, over 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and famine claiming 266 lives, including 112 children.

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