Israel cabinet approves plan for Gaza 'conquest'
AFP | Eyad BABA
GAZA CITY - Israel's security cabinet approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza including the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory, an official said Monday, after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists for the offensive.
It comes as the United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.
The Israeli official said the 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".
A different senior security official said "a central component of the plan is a large-scale evacuation of the entire Gazan population from the fighting zones... to areas in southern Gaza".
The plan, approved by the cabinet overnight, comes amid a push by Israel for Palestinians to leave the territory.
A "voluntary transfer program for Gaza residents... will be part of the operation's goals," the senior security official added.
The European Union voiced concern and urged restraint from Israel, saying the plan "will result in further casualties and suffering for the Palestinian people".
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.
Israel has since carried out intensive aerial bombardments and expanded ground operations across the Palestinian territory.
Gaza rescuers on Monday said Israeli air strikes killed at least 19 people.
-'Sacrificing hostages'-
Most of Gaza's population had resided in the north of the territory and nearly all have been displaced at least once during the war.
The cabinet, which includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers, "unanimously approved" the plan aimed at defeating 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.
"I think, as an Israeli citizen, that it's a smart move to finally address the root problem properly", public employee Yossi Gershon, 36, told AFP.
"All the steps of backing down -— we can see that unfortunately, there really isn't peace with the other people."
The senior security source said the troop deployment would "allow a window of opportunity" for a possible hostage deal coinciding with US President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to the Middle East in mid-May.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Sunday that at least 2,459 people had been killed since Israel resumed its campaign on 18 March, bringing the overall death toll from the war to 52,567.
Hamas's attack on 7 October resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
AFP | Menahem KAHANA
Militants also abducted 251 people, 58 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel says its renewed offensive is aimed at forcing Hamas to free its remaining captives, although critics charge that it puts them in mortal danger.
- 'Political blackmail' -
"It is a thoughtless way of endangering more lives on both sides", student Tamar Lazarow, 59, told AFP.
"Enough innocent people have died... I do not really trust our government to make decisions coming from the right place."
An Israeli campaign group representing the relatives of hostages said the plan for an expanded offensive was "sacrificing" those held in Gaza.
Alongside the plan for the expansion of the war, Netanyahu "continues to promote" a proposal by Trump for the departure of Gazans to neighbouring countries, the official said.
The US president's plan, unveiled in early February, has been rejected by Arab nations and governments around the world and the Palestinians.
Israel's security cabinet also approved the "possibility of humanitarian distribution, if necessary" in Gaza, "to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities".
Israel has accused the Palestinian militant group of diverting aid, which Hamas denies.
AFP | Menahem KAHANA
A grouping of UN agencies and aid groups in the Palestinian territory has said Israel is seeking to "shut down the existing aid distribution system... and have us agree to deliver supplies through Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military".
The plan "contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic –- as part of a military strategy", the bodies said in a statement.
Hamas said Monday the new Israeli aid framework amounted to "political blackmail".
Israel's cabinet said there was "currently enough food" in Gaza.
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