Netanyahu Pushes Gaza Annexation as Journalists Killed in Targeted Strike, Sparking Global Outrage

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that Israel will “evacuate” and seize Gaza City “fairly quickly,” pushing forward a plan that human rights advocates say amounts to mass forced displacement. The declaration came just hours after an Israeli airstrike killed six journalists in Gaza City, an act widely condemned as an attempt to silence coverage of alleged war crimes.

Speaking after a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet, Netanyahu framed the operation as a matter of national security, asserting that Israel will “assume paramount security responsibility” for Gaza while handing day-to-day governance to an “unspecified third party.” He denied it was a permanent annexation, but military sources confirmed to Reuters that the strategy involves full military dominance over what remains of the Strip not already under Israeli control.

According to The New York Times, the plan envisions the forced displacement of up to 800,000 Palestinians from Gaza City and surrounding refugee camps into heavily monitored “humanitarian zones” near Rafah on the Egyptian border — zones critics warn will function as de facto prison camps.

The announcement coincided with an airstrike on a tent camp used by Al Jazeera journalists, killing five of the network’s staff — including veteran correspondent Anas al-Sharif — and another journalist whose identity has yet to be confirmed. Witnesses said the site was clearly marked and far from any active combat.

Gaza’s media office labeled the bombing “a massacre of the press corps,” bringing the number of journalists killed by Israeli forces since October 2023 to 237. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the attack as “unprecedented in modern warfare” and demanded accountability.

In parallel, reports from Gaza indicate worsening humanitarian conditions. At least 91 Palestinians were killed at aid distribution points in the past 24 hours alone, including former Palestinian national football team star Suleiman al-Obeid. UN officials warned that Netanyahu’s plan could trigger “a new disaster in Gaza” on top of existing devastation and starvation deaths, which Gaza’s health ministry says have surpassed 200 — half of them children.

While global condemnation grows, The New York Times reported that Netanyahu briefed U.S. President Donald Trump on the operation during a Sunday call. Sources say the White House raised no objections, signaling Washington’s continued backing despite international alarm.

If carried out, the plan could mark one of the largest forced civilian displacements in recent Middle Eastern history — under the shadow of what press freedom advocates call a deliberate campaign to silence those documenting it.