Reflecting on the state of the country and its people, and the recurring scenes over the past 17 months of genocide and continuous evacuation orders—all point to Israel’s ongoing seizure of land and the destruction of what remains of housing and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

What’s happening confirms Israel’s intention to impose a new reality under the pretext of negotiations for the release of Israeli captives, all while applying relentless military pressure. What remains of the Gaza Strip is largely occupied by Israel through fire, killing, and destruction. It’s estimated that around 65 percent of the Strip’s total area—from the south to the east to the north—is now under occupation.

In the context of a breached ceasefire and the expansion of the military operation in a more aggressive and brutal manner, Israel claims it has achieved its declared goal of eliminating Hamas, its rule, and military capabilities. However, on the ground, it is in fact working to create a new reality and seize a significant portion of the territory.

In Gaza, people wander aimlessly, not knowing where to go or flee. Tents have spread across streets and the few remaining open spaces, without any aid or the bare minimum requirements for survival.

Queues have also increased at the few remaining water desalination stations, as the area under complete Israeli security control—by air, land, and sea—has grown.

In truth, and according to Israeli government plans executed by the Israeli army, Israel is effectively working to occupy the Gaza Strip militarily, without any ambiguity. What it seeks to achieve by resuming the war is not just the elimination of Hamas’s governance and military power, but the creation of a new reality aimed at rendering the Strip uninhabitable. This would set the stage for the displacement of its population, the control of a large portion of the territory, the implementation of the Philadelphi Corridor plan, and the imposition of a buffer zone stretching across the southern, eastern, and northern borders of the Strip.

This is evidenced by the mass displacement and overcrowding of people into narrow and limited areas, where they endure inhumane and unprecedented conditions. At the same time, there is a blockade on humanitarian aid and basic necessities, such as flour, other types of food, and vegetables. Bakeries are closed, fuel is banned from entry, electricity remains cut off, and water supply—already a severe crisis in the Strip—is not being restored, whether for drinking or general use. The result is widespread hunger, rising disease rates, and the spread of epidemics.

Amid this ongoing genocide and Israel’s criminal policy, Palestinians are clinging to life by any means possible, despite famine, silent anguish, and the relentless, bitter ordeal they are enduring. Notably, the price of a single loaf of bread in Gaza has reached 3 shekels, and a saj bread costs 1 shekel.

Famine creeps quietly and silently through the Gaza Strip. People witness it in real time, as food supplies in the markets dwindle, and goods gradually disappear from households—like legumes and canned goods. All types of meat have vanished since the beginning of Ramadan. Prices have skyrocketed, especially for the few remaining vegetables. This is largely because Israel has occupied the city of Rafah and the southern part of Khan Younis, areas considered the vegetable baskets of Gaza.

In response, Palestinians are resorting to historic food options such as zaatar, al-diffa (wild greens), and what little remains of olive oil and olives. Markets now carry only small amounts of tomatoes, lemons, parsley, jarada (a local green), and expensive falafel, which is now being fried over firewood.

Israel’s objectives in expanding its military operation are closely tied to the internal political scene: the ongoing corruption trials of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the arrest of two of his advisors, investigations into leaked information and foreign funding (known as “QatarGate”), and the recent dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet security service.

On the ground, however, the reality is clear: the expansion of the Israeli right wing’s power and influence, the weakness of the Israeli opposition—which, despite being part of the war through the national Zionist consensus and its right-leaning tendencies, is doing little to halt the war—and a continued push to achieve the war’s goal: to destroy and take control of Gaza, and dismantle Hamas, even if that comes at the expense of the Israeli captives still held in the Strip.

Netanyahu is determined to maintain his right-wing coalition and position as its leader, even if it means Gaza and the West Bank pay the price. He is continuing his war to pursue both new and old goals: separating Gaza from the West Bank, blocking the establishment of any Palestinian entity, destroying Gaza and forcibly displacing its population—all with the backing of former U.S. President Donald Trump. He also seeks to annex areas of the West Bank, destroy refugee camps, financially and administratively weaken the Palestinian Authority, and limit its influence on the ground.

Since the beginning of the war, Netanyahu’s statements have confirmed his total rejection of both Hamas and Abbas’s rule, and his insistence on solidifying Israel’s control over Gaza through a buffer zone along the border and by determining who governs the Strip—be it Arab or international actors. In line with these plans, Netanyahu and his ruling coalition remain committed to eliminating any dream of a Palestinian state and denying the rights of Palestinians.

Still, Palestinians can act in their own interest and resist these Israeli plans and continued denial of their rights. Preventing the realization of these goals requires unified Palestinian positions and the presentation of a renewed national vision to emerge from the crisis. This should include collaboration with Arab countries and the launching of a national dialogue between all political and social factions—without exception or exclusion—to stop the genocide in Gaza and confront the existential threats facing the Palestinian people. Palestinians suffer from the crimes of occupation, a dangerous state of internal division, and mutual accusations—all while facing an enemy bent on erasure. It is time to restore the representational institutions of the Palestinian people and overcome the fragility and deterioration currently afflicting them.