On Monday, May 5, 2025, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a new plan for Gaza named “Gideon’s Chariots.” The plan involves expanding the military offensive against Hamas by taking control of the Gaza Strip and retaining its territory until all war objectives are achieved. It also includes displacing the sector’s 2.1 million residents to areas “cleared of Hamas,” a move welcomed by the most hardline Israeli government ministers, led by Bezalel Smotrich.
On the same day, the ministerial council also approved a plan to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, ending the complete blockade imposed by Israel on the sector for two months. Following a brief period of calm after a January ceasefire, humanitarian conditions deteriorated catastrophically again after the closure of crossings on March 2, halting the flow of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid.
The resumption of Israeli attacks and the end of the truce on March 18 plunged Gaza into its worst humanitarian crisis since October 2023. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over two million people face severe food shortages. Additionally, one-third of UN-supported community kitchens were closed due to depleted food supplies and difficulties accessing fuel, reducing daily meal production by 25%.
The World Central Kitchen announced the suspension of its operations in Gaza due to exhausted stocks and Israeli authorities’ prohibition on delivering new aid.
Israel’s new plan introduces a militarized aid distribution system, with Israeli forces overseeing access to aid, while private U.S. security companies monitor the process. The volume of aid will be significantly reduced, and displaced Palestinians will be required to go to military-controlled areas in Khan Younis to receive relief. A biometric identification system will be used to identify beneficiaries, allowing only one representative per household to collect aid.
The plan has sparked outrage from the international community, particularly from UN agencies and NGOs, which rejected Israel’s proposal to dismantle the current UN-managed aid distribution system and its humanitarian partners.
As the “Gideon’s Chariots” operation begins, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is expected to worsen unprecedentedly. However, Israeli officials reported that the plan might be suspended if significant field progress is achieved before the U.S. President’s visit to the region on May 13.
Muriel Asseburg, Senior Fellow in the Africa and Middle East Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, warned that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis will worsen if the international community does not halt Israel’s plan. She stated:
“The Israeli Security Cabinet has, in principle, approved a massive expansion of military operations in Gaza and a new framework for distributing humanitarian aid. The plan includes a gradual reoccupation of the sector, destruction of remaining buildings, and evacuation of all civilians from combat zones. Aid will be distributed directly to Gazans by foreign companies protected by private security firms in a so-called ‘sterilized zone’ to be established in the far south of the sector and secured by Israeli forces. This approach will not only lead to new mass displacement, cramming Gazans into a confined area in Rafah (with the ultimate goal of ‘voluntary’ displacement), but it will also expose civilians to risks during movement and restrict aid to the bare minimum for survival. This policy does not align with fundamental humanitarian principles: neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which is why the UN team and NGOs involved in relief efforts have rejected it. As a result, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is likely to deteriorate further—unless the international community finally intervenes decisively.”
