Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the cabinet had decided on an “intensive operation” to destroy Hamas and rescue remaining hostages, and that Gaza’s 2.1 million residents would be displaced to protect it, after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to expand its military offensive that includes “seizing” Gaza and holding its territory, according to Reuters.
But an Israeli defence official said the operation would not be launched before US President Donald Trump concludes his visit to the Middle East next week.
The decision, taken after several weeks of failed efforts to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas, underlines the danger that the war, which is putting Israel under international pressure and eroding public support at home, could continue without end.
A report by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, citing officials familiar with the details, said the new plan was gradual and would last several months, with forces concentrating first on one area of the enclave.
NETANYAHU SAID IN A VIDEO MESSAGE THAT THE OPERATION WOULD BE “INTENSIVE” AND THAT MORE PALESTINIANS WOULD BE MOVED FROM GAZA “FOR THEIR OWN SECURITY”.
He said that Israeli troops would not use their previous tactics, which were based on short raids by forces deployed outside the Gaza Strip. “The intention is the opposite”, he said, stressing that they will move in and not out of the territories, echoing comments by other Israeli officials who said that Israel would hold on to the territories it had captured.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said Israel is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions, according to Axios, which also said he hoped for progress on the hostage and ceasefire agreements before or during Trump’s visit.
One Israeli official said that the recently approved offensive would seize all of the Gaza Strip, move its civilian population south and prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Hamas.
After the government decided to entrust the delivery of aid to private companies instead of international aid organisations and UN bodies, as had been the case until now, a defence official said that when fighting breaks out in Rafah, it will be private companies that will take over the delivery of aid.
Israel resumed its offensive in March after the end of a US-brokered ceasefire that had suspended hostilities for two months. Since then, Israel has blocked aid, with the UN warning that the population is at risk of starvation.
A defence official said Israel would maintain control of security zones near the Gaza Strip to protect nearby communities, but also mentioned that a ceasefire and hostage deal could be possible during Trump’s visit.
“If no hostage agreement is reached, Operation ‘Gideon’s March’ will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its objectives are achieved,” he said.
Hamas official Mahmoud Mardavi rejected what he called “pressure and blackmail”.
“There will be no agreement except a comprehensive agreement that includes a complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the release of all prisoners on both sides,” he said.
The war started after the Hamas attack on Israel on the 7th of October 2023, in which 1 200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 hostages were taken, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza has killed more than 52 000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to local health authorities, and destroyed large parts of Gaza.