In recent days, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir set the principles for the operation to conquer Gaza City, as part of the detailed planning for the campaign.
These statements were made during a meeting with senior officials in the Southern Command and the Israeli Air Force. According to the guidelines, the IDF will make every effort to prevent harm to the hostages, create rotation cycles for reservist forces, and evacuate civilians before entering the heart of the city.
It was also decided that the operation will be carried out in accordance with the standards of international law, maintaining humanitarian conditions for the evacuated civilians, and there will be no withdrawal from areas already captured in the Gaza Strip.
Military correspondent Doron Kadush of Galei Tzahal reported that despite the preparations, there are significant concerns about the feasibility of the operation. One of the main challenges is the establishment of "humanitarian zones" for about a million people within just two months, ahead of evacuating the population to central camps and to Mawasi.
Additionally, there is concern that along with the civilians, terrorists may also escape, which could result in a situation where the IDF ends up fighting in relatively empty areas, free of Hamas forces.
Previous operations have shown that even in past campaigns in Gaza City, tens of thousands of residents remained who had not been evacuated. The estimate is that it will be difficult to achieve a full evacuation this time as well. After the takeover, which is expected to last a few months, the IDF anticipates that Hamas will switch to guerrilla warfare in the captured territory, which will require prolonged control and continuous maneuvering.
According to the timelines set, the population evacuation and the establishment of the humanitarian zones are expected to be completed by October, with the takeover of Gaza City beginning in October. The IDF estimates that two to three months will be needed to complete the operation, likely until December 2025 or January 2026 — which is expected to extend the war by many months.