Israel ministers have signed off on plans to expand military operations, including capturing all of the Palestinian territory and staying for an unspecified amount of time, two officials have said.
The new plan, approved by Israel authorities in an early-morning vote, would see Israel seize all of Gaza and calls for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to be displaced to Gaza’s south.
The approval came shortly after Israel’s military chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, said tens of thousands of reserve soldiers were being called up, per the Associated Press. He also said Israel would “operate in additional areas” in Gaza and continue to strike militant infrastructure.
Details of the military plan have not formally announced, and its exact timing and implementation remain unclear.
In a video message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation would be “intensive” and would see more Palestinians in Gaza moved “for their own safety”. The plan would also impose Israeli control over aid distribution.
As reported by ABC News, Netanyahu said troops would not follow previous tactics based on short raids by forces based outside Gaza, stating the intention “is the opposite” with troops now planning to stay in the areas captured.
The officials also said Israel was in touch with several countries about the controversial proposal by US President Donald Trump to take over Gaza and relocate its population, under what it has called “voluntary emigration”.
The new plan is expected to wait until after Trump’s expected visit to the Middle East later this month.
The move will mark a significant escalation in the conflict in Gaza, which resumed mid-March after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on an extension of the eight-week truce announced in January.
Israel already controls roughly half of Gaza’s territory, including a buffer zone along the border with Israel as well as three corridors that run east-west along the strip.
Over 90 per cent of Gaza’s population has been displaced. Over 52,000 people — many of them women and chilled — have been killed by Israel’s offensive, per the Associated Press.
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