Summary of the day so far
It’s just past 10pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new “intensified” offensive in Gaza that will involve Israeli troops holding on to seized territory and significant displacement of the population. Israeli soldiers would not go into Gaza, launch raids and then retreat, Netanyahu said. “The intention is the opposite of that … Population will be moved, for its own protection.”
Israel’s security cabinet approved the plan on Sunday night for “conquering” the Gaza Strip and establishing a “sustained presence” there. The plan, which was unanimously approved, goes beyond any aims so far outlined by Israel for its offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the new offensive, named Operation Gideon’s Chariots, would “include a wide-scale attack and the movement of the majority of the strip’s population. The announcement is a significant moment, at least in terms of public rhetoric, and will confirm many people’s long-held fears of Israel’s intentions in Gaza and prompt international outrage.
The Israeli announcement prompted deep international concern and fierce opposition. A spokesperson for the UN secretary general, António Guterres, said the Israeli plan will “inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza.” A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said: “The UK does not support an expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Continued fighting is in nobody’s interests.”
Donald Trump did not offer his views on Israel’s plan but blamed Hamas for having treated the people of Gaza “very badly”. The US will “help the people of Gaza get some food,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Hamas is making it impossible, because they’re taking everything that’s brought in.”
Israel sees Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week as a “window of opportunity” for a hostage deal in Gaza. Israel is reportedly trying to “leverage” the US president’s trip to push Hamas to accept a deal, with a report claiming that Israel will launch a massive ground operation if no deal is reached.
Israel’s military said it carried out airstrikes against Yemen’s Hodeidah port, a day after the Houthi group fired a missile that struck near Israel’s main airport. More than 10 strikes targeted Hodeidah Port and the Al Salakhanah and Al Hawak neighbourhoods in Hodeidah City, Reuters reported. Four strikes also targeted a cement factory east of Hodeidah.
The announcement of Israel’s plan to launch imminently a new, expanded offensive in Gaza and to retain the territory it seized is a significant moment, at least in terms of public rhetoric.
Throughout the nearly 19-month war, Israeli troops have carried out large and frequently bloody operations that have covered all except central parts of Gaza, but they have largely restricted their permanent presence to a buffer zone about 1km deep along the devastated territory’s perimeter and two relatively narrow east-west corridors.
This now seems to have changed. Once “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” is under way, Israel will send its troops across much – if not all – of Gaza, and will seek to establish a “sustained presence” there, Israel officials said.
Israeli officials are also talking openly about the displacement of Palestinians to southern Gaza, and their potential “voluntary” displacement from the territory altogether to allow the implementation of the reconstruction plan announced by the US president, Donald Trump, in January. The far-right Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, told Israelis on Monday to embrace the word “occupation”.
All this will confirm many people’s long-held fears of Israel’s intentions in Gaza and prompt international outrage.
Read the full analysis here: Announcement of Israel’s Gaza occupation plan is carefully timed
Trump says US will help Gaza 'get some food', blames Hamas
Donald Trump has said the US will “help the people of Gaza get some food” as he blamed Hamas for having treated them “very badly”.
Asked about Israeli plans for an expanded offensive in Gaza, Trump did not offer his views on Israel’s operations. Instead, he said:
Hamas is making it impossible, because they’re taking everything that’s brought in. But we’re going to help the people of Gaza because they’re being treated very badly by Hamas.
Israel’s air force has confirmed it carried out strikes in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.
In a series of posts on X, it said the attack by its fighter jets was carried out in response to Houthi attacks against Israeli targets. The statement continues:
The [Israel Defense Forces] IDF is determined to continue to act and strike forcefully against anyone who poses a threat to the residents and citizens of the State of Israel.
Expanded Gaza operation includes 'wide-scale attack' and 'moving majority of the population’, says IDF
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its planned expanded offensive in Gaza includes a “wide-scale attack” and “moving the majority of the population” of the Palestinian territory.
A statement from IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin, reported by the Times of Israel, says:
The goal of the operation is the return of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas’s rule. These two goals are combined with each other.
The offensive “will include a wide-scale attack and the movement of the majority of the strip’s population, this is to protect them in an area sterile of Hamas. And continued airstrikes, elimination of terrorists, and dismantling of infrastructure,” he said.
Israel’s plan to expand its military operation in Gaza was unanimously approved at a security cabinet meeting late on Sunday.
Officials have said it would involved a new and intense offensive leading to “the conquest of Gaza and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection [and] … powerful blows against Hamas”, going beyond any aims so far outlined by Israel for its offensive in Gaza.
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UN chief 'alarmed’ by Israeli military plan for Gaza
The UN’s secretary general António Guterres is “alarmed” by Israeli plans to expand military operations in Gaza and seek the “conquest” of the territory, a UN spokesperson has said.
“This will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza,” said Farhan Haq, adding:
Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state.
Israeli officials have confirmed that the Israeli air force is carrying out strikes in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, the Times of Israel is reporting.
Separately, Axios is citing an Israeli official as saying that the strikes were coordinated with the US but that American forces were not actively involved.
A US official confirmed that Israel notified Washington in advance of the strike, Axios reports.
Israel conducts strikes in Yemen's Hodeidah - reports
Israel’s air force has conducted airstrikes in the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen, Reuters reports, citing Houthi-affiliated media.
Six strikes targeted the Hodeidah port, Al Masirah TV reported, blaming the strikes on Israel and the US.
The reported strikes come after the Houthi group fired a missile from Yemen at the grounds of Israel’s main airport on Sunday morning.
As we reported earlier, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had vowed to retaliate against the Houthis after the strike.
We reported earlier that a senior Israeli defence official said there was a “window of opportunity” for a hostage deal in Gaza during Donald Trump’s visit to the region next week.
The Times of Israel, citing an Israeli official said Israel is trying to “leverage” the US president’s trip to push Hamas to accept a deal.
Qatar is no longer “putting spokes in the wheels” of the Egyptian proposal for a deal, the official told the outlet. The paper quotes the official as saying:
We hope that all these factors will come together in the coming days and maybe will lead to a deal … If we come to an agreement, that is, if Hamas agrees to the Israeli conditions – because that is the only way we will reach an agreement – then the rest of the hostages would be released and the war would end.
Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has reiterated his opposition to any humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
His comments came after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to seize all of the Gaza Strip, including allowing the Israeli military to take over aid deliveries into the Palestinian territory.
Ben-Gvir was the only one who voted against the proposal.
“The only aid that ought to enter Gaza should be for voluntary migration, to allow them to emigrate voluntarily,” he said in comments carried by Israeli media.
As long as there are hostages no food, no electricity, and no other aid should be allowed – neither by the [Israeli military] nor by civil society.
Donald Trump said he had a “very good and productive” call with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Monday.
The pair discussed the war in Ukraine and “all things Syria, Gaza, and more,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Trump said he was invited to go to Turkey and that Erdoğan will also be visiting Washington DC.
The Turkish presidency, in its readout of the Trump-Erdoğan call, said Erdoğan expressed support for US negotiations with Iran and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Finland’s minister for foreign affairs, Elina Valtonen, has said she is “deeply concerned” about Israel’s plans to expand its military operation in Gaza.
In a post on X on Monday, Valtonen wrote:
I once again urge all parties to return to a ceasefire, and Hamas to immediately release the remaining hostages. Israel must ensure unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Iran accuses Netanyahu of trying to 'brazenly dictate' US policy
Here’s more from Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who accused Benjamin Netanyahu of “directly meddling” with the US government to “drag it into another disaster” in the Middle East region.
The Israeli leader is attempting to “brazenly dictate what President [Donald] Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X on Monday.
Iran’s top diplomat warned against any attempt to attack Iran:
If the goal is “The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon” as President Trump just said, a deal is achievable and there is only ONE PATH to achieve it: DIPLOMACY based on MUTUAL RESPECT and MUTUAL INTERESTS.
His comments came after Netanyahu blamed Tehran after the Iran-backed Houthi group claimed a missile strike near Israel’s main airport on Sunday. Iran denied any role in the attack.
It also comes after the latest round of nuclear talks with the US, which were scheduled for 3 May, were delayed with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons”.
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Summary
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a new offensive in Gaza will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas that would involve moving the population of Gaza. He stopped short of detailing just how much of the enclave’s territory would be seized following earlier reports that Israel could aim to capture the whole of the Gaza Strip.
Two Israeli officials said earlier today that Israel’s security cabinet had approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified amount of time. The two officials said the plan would involve the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza.
A senior Israeli defence official said there was a “window of opportunity” for a hostage deal in Gaza during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the region next week. It allows for the possibility that Israel might agree to a ceasefire in the meantime.
Israel will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip even if there is another hostage deal is reached, far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted as he called on Israelis to embrace the word “occupation.” “We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation,’” Smotrich told journalist from Israel’s Channel 12.
An Israeli campaign group said the plan would mean “sacrificing” hostages held in the Palestinian territory. “The plan approved by the cabinet deserves to be called the ‘Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan’ for sacrificing the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
Yemen’s Houthis said the US carried out strikes in and around Sana’a, after the Iran-backed rebels claimed a missile strike on Israel’s main airport yesterday. The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the strikes included two on Arbaeen Street in the capital and the airport road, blaming them on “American aggression”. Saba said 16 people were wounded.
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Netanyahu says new Gaza offensive will be 'intensive'
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a new offensive in Gaza will be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas, but stopped short of detailing just how much of the enclave’s territory would be seized, Reuters reports.
“Population will be moved, for its own protection,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on X. He said Israeli soldiers won’t go into Gaza, launch raids and then retreat. “The intention is the opposite of that,” he said.
Earlier today two Israeli officials said Israel’s security cabinet had approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified amount of time.
There was one arrest at a protest outside Israel’s parliament, the Knesset today, according to the Times of Israel.
Demonstrators were protesting against Benjamin Netayahu’s government and for the return of the remaining 59 hostages trapped in Gaza.
Police forcibly dispersed protesters who were blocking the road leading to the prime minister’s office.
peaking to Israel’s Channel 12, protesters said they showed up to demonstrate over a number of issues, including the failure to recover the hostages, the mass call-up of IDF reservists, and the treatment of the country’s educators amid ongoing wage disputes.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to drag the US into “disaster” in the Middle East, warning against any attempt to attack Iran, AFP reports.
“Netanyahu is directly MEDDLING within the US Government to DRAG it into another DISASTER in our region,” Araghchi said on X, warning against “ANY mistake against Iran”.
France has condemned the Houthi strike against Israel’s Ben Gurion airport yesterday.
“The Houthi attacks against Israel are unacceptable and can only fuel high regional tensions, further delaying an end to the conflict. They must cease immediately,” a statement from the French foreign ministry said.
“France reiterates its commitment to Israel’s security and reaffirms the right of the Israeli people to live in peace and security, as well as its commitment to regional stability.”
“The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, through its diplomatic and consular network, remains attentive to the situation of French citizens present in Israel, whether residents or passing through.”
An Israeli parliamentary committee is debating a law that would impose an 80% tax on non-government organisations that receive the majority of their funding from foreign entities, Reuters reports.
Under the proposed law, these NGOs would not be able to petition Israeli courts. Israel’s finance minister, though, would be able to grant an exemption from the tax.
The debate in the Knesset’s constitution, law and justice committee was at times heated and divided along coalition lines. The panel is preparing the bill for a first reading in the main plenum.
“This law will preserve a Jewish state and a democratic regime, and will block improper foreign interference,” said Ariel Kallner, the bill’s sponsor, during the debate.
Opposition politicians criticised the proposed law, saying the state was trying to stifle voices, including the media, that don’t agree with Israel’s policies. Some said that if the government sought to prevent foreign influence, then companies should also be targeted.
Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, sent a letter signed by nine NGOs to the head of the committee, urging the bill be halted.
“This bill is a direct assault on civil society, the rule of law, and the basic constitutional structure of Israel’s democracy,” the letter said. “It threatens the rights of individuals and communities and seeks to silence legitimate dissent under the guise of sovereignty.”
AFP has spoken to the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who has criticised an Israeli plan to take over the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza at hubs controlled by the military.
“We cannot and will not do something which is fundamentally against humanitarian principles,” Jan Egeland said.
He said “the United Nations agencies, all other international humanitarian groups and NGOs have said no to be part of this idea coming from the Israeli cabinet and from the Israeli military.”
Egeland said the Israeli government wanted to “militarise, manipulate, politicise the aid by allowing only aid to a few concentration hubs in the south, a scheme where people will be screened, where it’s a completely inoperable system.”
“That would force people to move to get aid, and it would continue the starvation of the civilian population,” he said, adding: “We will have no part in that.”
“If one side in a bitter armed conflict tries to control, manipulate, ration aid among the civilians on the other side, it is against everything we stand for,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the Israeli scheme “will mean large parts of Gaza, including the less mobile and most vulnerable people, will continue to go without supplies.”
A defence official has also briefed Associated Press, saying that the new plan to intensify the assault on Gaza wouldn’t begin until after Donald Trump wraps up his expected visit to the Middle East this month — allowing for the possibility that Israel might agree to a ceasefire in the meantime.
It is not clear if this is the same official who has briefed Reuters (see our previous post).
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Trump visit offers 'window of opportunity' for hostage deal, says Israeli official
A senior Israeli defence official said on Monday there was a “window of opportunity” for a hostage deal in Gaza during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the region next week.
However, Reuters reports, if no deal is agreed Israel would begin its new operation in the enclave.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation ‘Gideon Chariots’ will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” he said, following a decision by the security cabinet to approve an expanded operation.
Israel aims to 'conquer' Gaza, officials say
Israel is to expand its military operations in Gaza in the coming weeks, with the aim of “conquering” the territory and establishing a “sustained presence” there, Israeli officials have said.
The plan, which was unanimously approved at a security cabinet meeting late on Sunday, goes beyond any aims so far outlined by Israel for its offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory and is likely to prompt deep international concern and fierce opposition.
Officials told reporters in Israel that the plan would involve a new and intense offensive leading to “the conquest of Gaza and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection [and] … powerful blows against Hamas”.
After a fragile ceasefire collapsed in mid-March, Israel renewed its bombardment of Gaza, with troops reinforcing kilometre-deep “buffer zones” along the perimeter of Gaza and expanding their hold over much of the north and south of the territory.
The European Union has called for restraint from Israel after the country’s security cabinet approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza.
“The European Union is concerned at the planned extension of the operation by Israeli forces in Gaza, which will result in further casualties and suffering for the Palestinian population. We urge Israel to exercise the utmost restraint,” EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.
AP provides some analysis of Israel’s new plan to expand its operations in Gaza – and potentially capture the entire territory.
The new plan, which two officials said was meant to help Israel achieve its war aims of defeating Hamas and freeing hostages held in Gaza, also calls for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Gaza’s south — which would likely lead to their forcible displacement and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after a decades-long occupation and then imposed a blockade on the territory along with Egypt. Capturing and potentially occupying the territory again for an indefinite period would not only further dash hopes for Palestinian statehood, it would embed Israel inside a population that is deeply hostile to it and raise questions about how Israel plans to govern the territory, especially at a time when it is considering how to implement US president Donald Trump’s vision to take over Gaza.
The Israel Defence Forces said a strike on Gaza’s Khan Younis yesterday destroyed a Hamas rocket position.
The IDF posted a video of the strike on X. It said secondary explosions in the clip indicated “the presence of rockets prepared for launch toward Israeli territory”. The Guardian could not independently verify the footage or the IDF’s claim it had destroyed a Hamas position.
Overnight attacks on the Khan Younis refugee camp killed at least 11 people including three babies up to a year old, Gazan officials said. It is not clear if the strike in the IDF footage is related to these casualties.
Bezalel Smotrich: Israelis should embrace the word 'occupation'
Israel will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip even if there is another hostage deal is reached, far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has insisted as he called on Israelis to embrace the word “occupation.”
“We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation,’” Smotrich told Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal during a conference organised by Israel’s right-wing Besheva newspaper.
“We are finally taking control of all humanitarian aid, so that it does not become supplies for Hamas. We are separating Hamas from the population, cleansing the Strip, returning the hostages — and defeating Hamas,” he said.
“The only way to release the hostages is to subdue Hamas. Any retreat will bring about the next October 7,” he said. “Once as we occupy and stay [in Gaza] we can talk about sovereignty. But I did not demand that this be included among the goals of the war. First, we will defeat Hamas and prevent it from existing.”
AFP provides some more detail on Israel’s plans to intensify its operations in Gaza, with the official saying Israel was planning the “conquest” of the territory.
The Israeli official said the plan for expanded operations “will include, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection”.
The majority of Gaza’s population had resided in the north of the territory, particularly Gaza City, and nearly all have been displaced at least once since the war began.
The cabinet, which includes prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers, “unanimously approved” the plan aimed at defeating Gaza’s rulers Hamas and securing the return of hostages held in the territory.
The official source said the plan included “powerful strikes against Hamas”, without specifying their nature.
One of Pope Francis’s popemobiles is being transformed into a mobile health clinic for children in the Gaza Strip, fulfilling one of his final wishes, the Vatican said yesterday.
The vehicle, used by the late pontiff during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, is being outfitted with diagnostic and emergency medical equipment to help young patients in the Palestinian territory, where health services have been devastated by the Israeli invasion.
Israel’s expansion announcement has angered families of hostages still trapped in Gaza, AP reports.
The Hostage Forum, which supports families, said that the plan puts every hostage at risk and urged Israel’s decision-makers to secure a deal and prioritise the hostages.
At a Knesset committee meeting, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held hostage, called on soldiers “not to report for reserve duty for moral and ethical reasons.”
The Israeli military said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers shortly before it emerged that Israeli ministers had approved a plan to potentially capture all of Gaza.
Hamas said a new Israeli framework for aid delivery in Gaza amounted to “political blackmail” and blamed Israel for the war-ravaged territory’s “humanitarian catastrophe”, AFP reports.
“We reject the use of aid as a tool of political blackmail and support the UN’s stance against any arrangements that violate humanitarian principles,” Hamas said in a statement, adding Israel’s “continued obstruction of aid entry” since 2 March made it “fully responsible” for the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
One of Israel’s goals is to prevent Hamas from handling aid in the Gaza Strip, AP reports.
The Israeli officials who confirmed Israel’s plans to potentially capture all of Gaza, did not disclose details on how the plan seeks to prevent Hamas from involvement in aid distribution. One said the ministers had approved “the option of aid distribution,” without elaborating.
According to an internal memo circulated among aid groups and seen by AP, Israel told the UN that it will use private security companies to control aid distribution in Gaza. The UN, in a statement yesterday, said it would not participate in the plan as presented, saying it violates its core principles.
The memo, sent to aid organisations, detailed notes from a meeting between COGAT, the Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, and the UN.
Under COGAT’s plan, all aid will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, letting approximately 60 trucks enter daily and distributing 20kg of aid parcels directly to people on the day of entry.
The memo said the aid will be distributed at logistics hubs, which will be run by private security companies. The memo said that facial recognition will be used to identify Palestinians at the hubs and SMS alerts will notify people in the area that they can collect aid.
Aid workers say the plan to centralise aid, rather than delivering it to Palestinians where they are, will forcibly displace people.
Houthis say US bombed Yemen after strike on Israel’s main airport
Yemen’s Houthis have said the US of carried out strikes in and around Sana’a, after the Iran-backed rebels claimed a missile strike on Israel’s main airport yesterday, AFP reports.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the strikes included two on Arbaeen Street in the capital and the airport road, blaming them on “American aggression”. Saba said 16 people were wounded, citing the Houthi’s health ministry.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a tough response against the Houthis, as well as its main backer Iran, over the airport attack. On social media platform X, Netanyahu said Israel would also respond to Iran at “a time and place of our choosing”.
Iran denied supporting the attack, calling it an “independent decision” by the Yemeni rebels taken in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
As news of Israel’s plans to for a renewed assault on the Gaza Strip emerge, Gaza rescuers said Israeli air strikes killed at least 19 people in the north overnight, AFP reports.
Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on 18 March amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Hamas, which was sparked by the militants’ October 2023 attack on Israel.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said yesterday that at least 2,436 people had been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in March, bringing the overall death toll from the war to 52,535.
Gaza plan 'sacrificing' hostages, say families
An Israeli campaign group said that a new government plan for expanded military operations in Gaza is “sacrificing” hostages held in the Palestinian territory, AFP reports.
“The plan approved by the cabinet deserves to be called the ‘Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan’ for sacrificing the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement on the plan adopted by Israel’s security cabinet.
The reference was to far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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A report by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, citing officials with knowledge of the details, said new plan to intensify operations in the Gaza Strip would be gradual and would take months, with forces focusing first on one area, Reuters reports.
Such a timeline could leave the door open for a ceasefire and hostage release deal talks ahead of a visit by US president Donald Trump to the region next week, according to security cabinet minister Zeev Elkin.
“There is still a window of opportunity until president Trump concludes his visit to the Middle East, if Hamas understands we are serious,” Elkin told Kan.
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Israeli ministers approved a plan to capture all of Gaza and remain there – two officials say
Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified amount of time, two officials said, AP reports.
The plan was approved today and is part of Israel’s efforts to increase pressure on Hamas to free hostages and negotiate a ceasefire on Israel’s terms.
The two officials said the plan also includes the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing military plans.
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Israel to intensify Gaza operations
Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ramp up the war against Hamas in Gaza, an official said.
Associated Press reported Israel has plans to capture more territory in the beleaguered Palestinian territory and call up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
The plan, which the official said would be gradual, could mark a significant escalation in the fighting in Gaza, which resumed in mid-March after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on an extension to an eight-week truce. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
On Sunday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and said Israel would “operate in additional areas” in Gaza and continue to strike militant infrastructure.
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. These have squeezed war-weary Palestinians into ever shrinking wedges of land in the devastated territory.
We will bring you more developments as we have them.
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