By: Carl Schwartzbaum

Israel is preparing for a pivotal stage in its campaign against Hamas with the rollout of an unprecedented humanitarian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, designed to support the mass evacuation of civilians from Gaza City ahead of the next phase of military operations. According to a report at appeared in Israel Hayom, within the next six weeks Israel intends to establish a network of eight emergency distribution centers across Gaza, ensuring a steady supply of food and water as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots II.”

The initiative underscores Israel’s dual-pronged approach: the dismantling of Hamas’s entrenched military presence in Gaza City, coupled with a large-scale humanitarian effort to mitigate civilian suffering and counter the militant group’s use of the population as human shields.

At present, three emergency distribution points are active in the Gaza Strip, Israel Hayom reported. The first operates in Gaza City’s Saudi neighborhood; the second lies adjacent to the IDF’s Netzarim Corridor, a vital artery cutting south of the city; and the third is situated near the Morag Corridor, dividing Khan Yunis from Rafah.

In the coming days, two more distribution points will open in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, with three additional centers to follow. By mid-autumn, a total of eight hubs—operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—are expected to serve the displaced population.

These centers already play a critical role in sustaining civilians. The Israel Hayom report cited GHF figures showing that over 2.5 million family food packages have been distributed since the initiative began. Each package, sufficient to feed a family of five for nearly a week, is dispensed at a rate of 10,000 to 15,000 packages per center daily. This scale of aid, Israeli officials stress, highlights the state’s commitment to ensuring basic needs are met, even as it intensifies its military campaign.

The humanitarian dimension is not incidental but central to Israel’s strategy. As the Israel Hayom report emphasized, Israeli officials are determined to discredit what they call Hamas’s “false starvation campaign”—a propaganda effort to portray Gaza as deliberately starved by Israel in order to inflame international opinion.

To counter this narrative, Israel has not only expanded its food distribution efforts but has also facilitated the continued entry of food trucks into Gaza. Security officials quoted by Israel Hayom stressed that Israel has “no intention of halting the flow of aid,” even as Hamas seeks to intercept or manipulate supplies for its own fighters.

This approach aims both to meet immediate humanitarian needs and to expose Hamas’s strategy of withholding or redirecting aid in order to maintain leverage over the civilian population.

Parallel to food distribution, Israel has undertaken measures to stabilize water access across Gaza. According to Israel Hayom, Israel recently connected a power line to a desalination facility in Deir al-Balah, ensuring potable water supply in the central Strip. An Emirati-funded water line from Egypt has also been activated, while repair work is underway on two additional pipelines from Israel into southern Gaza.

Currently, one Israeli line—the Nahal Oz conduit—remains fully operational, while two others are being restored. These, combined with Gaza’s two desalination plants and the Emirati pipeline, provide what Israeli officials argue is more than sufficient water for the population.

This infrastructure investment reflects what the Israel Hayom report described as a deliberate effort to safeguard basic civilian welfare, even amid ongoing combat. The moves also reinforce Israel’s position in international forums that it has not, contrary to Hamas claims, cut off life-sustaining resources.

The ultimate objective of these humanitarian preparations is to facilitate the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of civilians from Gaza City, where Hamas maintains its last major military and political stronghold. Out of an estimated 800,000 residents, only about 70,000 have relocated southward so far, though the flow of evacuees reportedly increases by several thousand each day.

As the Israel Hayom report detailed, Israeli security sources stress that Hamas is actively obstructing this process, often using coercion to prevent civilians from leaving. The terror group recognizes that without large civilian populations in place to serve as human shields, its ability to resist IDF operations will be severely degraded.

Residents who attempt to move southward face roadblocks, intimidation, and sometimes physical violence from Hamas operatives. This, Israeli officials argue, illustrates Hamas’s fundamental indifference to Palestinian lives, prioritizing its military survival over the welfare of its people.

For the Israel Defense Forces, Gaza City remains the “center of gravity” in this war. As noted in the Israel Hayom report, the city houses not only Hamas’s governing apparatus but also its most extensive strategic tunnel networks, logistical hubs, and command centers. By gradually depopulating the city through humanitarian evacuation and then applying precise military pressure, Israel aims to dismantle Hamas’s infrastructure without the massive civilian toll that Hamas attempts to engineer.

“Operation Gideon’s Chariots II,” therefore, is envisioned as a decisive stage of the campaign—one that blends military force with humanitarian facilitation, undercutting Hamas’s propaganda and operational tactics simultaneously.

The humanitarian distribution centers are not only a logistical necessity but also a diplomatic tool. By visibly committing resources to feed and supply displaced civilians, Israel hopes to strengthen its standing with international partners who have voiced concern about the humanitarian situation.

As the Israel Hayom report noted, the government has emphasized repeatedly that its battle is against Hamas, not against the civilian population. The investment of NIS 20 million (approx. $5.3 million) in humanitarian logistics—security personnel, interpreters, and infrastructure—demonstrates that claim in tangible form.

Yet the political debate within Israel remains sharp. Some lawmakers have questioned whether such extensive aid should be provided while Hamas continues to hold Israeli hostages. Others argue that humanitarian outreach is essential both to weaken Hamas’s grip and to maintain international legitimacy for the military campaign.

With eight distribution centers set to be operational within six weeks, Israel is laying the groundwork for one of the most ambitious humanitarian-military operations in its history. The project, described in detail in the Israel Hayom report, reflects the state’s determination to both defeat Hamas militarily and counter its propaganda narratives by ensuring civilian survival.

The coming weeks will test the efficacy of this approach. If Israel succeeds in scaling up evacuations while maintaining humanitarian lifelines, it could isolate Hamas further, exposing its cynical manipulation of Gaza’s population. If, however, Hamas continues to block civilian movements, the IDF may be forced to advance into a city still densely populated, complicating its mission and intensifying international scrutiny.

Either way, the unfolding operation highlights the intricate balance Israel is attempting to strike: a relentless military campaign paired with an equally relentless humanitarian one, aimed not only at defeating Hamas but also at shaping the perception of the conflict both at home and abroad.