The BLUF - May 6th

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This is Atlas, and you’re reading the Bottom Line Up Front, where we cover the top geopolitical stories from around the world every Tuesday!

Today’s topics:

• Israel’s Security Cabinet Approves Entire Seizure And Control Of Gaza

• Analysis: Greece - Illicit Arms And Political Violence

• UN Paper Signals Rift With US Over Initiatives Towards Developing Countries

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Israel’s Security Cabinet Approves Entire Seizure And Control Of Gaza

_{By: Atlas}

Marking a notable broadening of its war goals, Israel's security cabinet has unanimously sanctioned a wide military operation to capture the whole Gaza Strip and maintain an indefinite presence there. Approved on May 4-5, 2025, the operation marks a significant change in Israel's attitude toward Gaza and poses difficult problems regarding the future of the land in light of its disputed past.

"Gideon's Chariots"

Mobilizing tens of thousands of Israeli reservists for a large-scale ground offensive, the newly approved operation dubbed "Gideon's Chariots" will run. Israeli authorities claim the strategy intends to destroy Hamas's military capacity, including militants and tunnel systems, while guaranteeing the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023 assault.

Its total extent and open-ended timetable set this operation apart from past military activities. The plan foresees a full-scale occupation and rule of Gaza with no obvious pullout date rather than restricted incursions or raids.

The operation calls for moving Gaza's whole population of some 2.2 million Palestinians to the southernmost half of the territory, freeing northern and central Gaza for Israeli military control. Israel may keep tight control over the flow of humanitarian aid following this evacuation.

The timing of the operation appears calculated to commence after a scheduled visit by former U.S. President Donald Trump to the Middle East, which Israeli officials hope might create a diplomatic window for hostage negotiations before the offensive intensifies.

Historical Context

Examining the tangled past of land claims over Gaza helps to explain Israel's present plan. Over the last century, the small coastal area has changed hands several times, hence forming its present disputed condition.

Until World War I, Gaza belonged to the Ottoman Empire; after that, Britain ran it under the League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1948. Egyptian troops took the Gaza Strip following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the founding of Israel; its borders were set by the 1949 Israel-Egypt Armistice Agreement.

Egypt ran Gaza as a distinct entity with little sovereignty; it did not annex it. The land became home to many Palestinian refugees displaced from other areas of Mandatory Palestine.

During the 1956 Suez Crisis, Israel momentarily controlled Gaza but pulled out under worldwide pressure. Israel took the Strip during the Six-Day War in 1967, starting a military occupation that lasted for decades and included notable control, settlement growth, and limitations on Palestinian movement.

Starting in 1994 under the Palestinian Authority, the 1993 Oslo Accords resulted in restricted Palestinian self-governance in Gaza. Though it kept control of its airspace, marine access, and borders, Israel unilaterally withdrew its military troops and destroyed Gaza settlements in 2005.

Following the Fatah conflict, Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 and seized complete control of Gaza in 2007. Citing security worries over Hamas, which Israel classifies as a terrorist group, Israel and Egypt later blockaded Gaza.

Legal and Humanitarian Consequences

The intended forced relocation and ongoing occupation generate grave questions regarding possible breaches of international law, especially the laws of occupation and civilian protections under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Concerns have been raised about the operation possibly aggravating the already terrible humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where more than 70% of the land has been designated a military "red zone." Already over 50,000 Palestinian dead and great destruction throughout Gaza have been caused by the continuing hostilities.

Control over assistance distribution and the siege threaten to aggravate more starvation, medical shortages, and civilian misery in an area already fighting with humanitarian issues.

The proposal and its humanitarian implications are likely to generate major worldwide protests. Historically, neighboring countries including Egypt have resisted permanent Israeli occupation of Gaza's border regions out of concern for regional instability.

The larger Middle East is still unstable; organizations like Yemen's Houthi rebels have lately fired missiles on Israel, indicating rising regional tensions that the Gaza operation could further fan.

Most of the world still views Gaza controlled by Israel under international law despite Israel's 2005 disengagement because of its control over borders, airspace, and naval access. Any prolonged Israeli presence in the land under this reading becomes legally ambiguous.

Looking Ahead

The future of Gaza is still unclear as Israel gets ready to carry out its plan. With possible far-reaching consequences for Israeli-Palestinian relations and regional stability, the operation departs significantly from past Israeli military interventions in Gaza.

Gaza is still a necessary component of their statehood aspirations for Palestinians. For Israel, especially under Hamas administration, the land is a continuous security concern. The next operation will most certainly change the dynamics of the decades-old conflict, hence representing the most recent chapter in the territory's complicated and disputed history.

Israel's approach and how the international community responds—especially with regard to humanitarian issues and legal questions—will help to shape both the immediate effects for Gaza's people and the long-term stability of the area.

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