Why is israel attacking gaza

1. Israel’s stated objectives: dismantle Hamas and secure hostages

Israeli leaders and the military frame operations as necessary to remove the threat from Hamas — which carried out the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war — and to recover hostages and remains, a political and security priority that has directly shaped operations, including “large-scale” searches to find the last captive whose remains were reported retrieved, a development that Israeli officials tied to next steps in the ceasefire plan ^{[1] [2] [6]}.

2. Tactical moves tied to a phased ceasefire and reconstruction plan

The U.S.-backed, multi-phase plan for Gaza — now moving into a second phase — conditions Israeli withdrawals, disarmament of militants, and reconstruction on milestones such as retrieval of hostages, expanded movement through Rafah and the deployment of international security arrangements; Israeli operations have therefore been presented as part of enforcing or creating the security conditions for that transition ^{[7] [8] [3]}.

3. Control of movement and the Rafah crossing as leverage

Control over the Rafah border with Egypt — effectively the main route for Gaza’s more than two million residents — has been central: Israeli authorities have linked reopening to security inspections, lists and the return of hostages, and have said limited openings will be conditioned on mechanisms they control, making border policy an instrument that shapes both humanitarian access and population flows ^{[3] [9] [8]}.

4. Escalation, evacuations and the humanitarian cost

Operations have included forced evacuations and expansion of areas under Israeli control — for example orders to evacuate parts of Khan Younis — and strikes that aid groups and observers say have killed civilians and disabled health and relief infrastructure, contributing to massive displacement and allegations of severe humanitarian harm inside Gaza ^{[10] [4] [5]}.

5. Civilian harm, media casualties and restrictions on aid and access

Independent reporting documents strikes that have killed journalists and aid workers and notes Israel’s restrictions on foreign journalists entering Gaza; additionally, Israel has banned several aid organizations from operating under new registration requirements, measures critics say exacerbate the collapse of medical and relief services even as Israel says it is targeting militants ^{[11] [5] [4]}.

6. Competing narratives and international politics

While Israeli authorities insist operations are narrowly aimed at security goals and enabling the next phase of a ceasefire plan, international actors and human-rights voices argue the scale and methods of the campaign have been disproportionate and collectively punitive, with some scholars and UN inquiries asserting that acts committed meet elements of genocide — a serious contention noted in broader reporting that complicates any purely security-focused narrative ^[4]. The U.S. role in shaping the post-war plan and the friction over who oversees Gaza’s next steps also feeds tensions, with Israel publicly objecting to certain American appointments and positioning on implementation ^{[12] [7]}.

7. What the reporting does not resolve

The sources document motives Israel states publicly — hostage recovery, neutralizing Hamas and securing phased political arrangements — and detail the grim human consequences, but they do not fully reveal classified intelligence assessments driving tactical choices nor the full internal deliberations of Israeli political leadership beyond public statements; reporting therefore explains the declared rationale and its effects but cannot, on available sources, confirm every unstated driver behind operational timing or targeting ^{[2] [1]}.