Israel Approves Gaza Offensive Expansion Plan

The plan includes, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of territories, as well as the relocation of Gaza's population southward for their safety, says AFP's source.

According to the source, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains determined to implement US President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, which includes the "voluntary" displacement of the population.

The operation will require a significant mobilization. The military has already begun calling in tens of thousands of reservists ahead of the offensive, said Army Chief Eyal Zamir, according to Reuters on Sunday.

After Trump's Visit

The plan will, however, be launched after Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East next week, according to Israeli media. Until then, the focus will be on reaching an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange with Hamas, labeled as a terrorist organization.

Relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza are criticizing the plan and accusing the government of "sacrificing" the hostages, reports Israeli media. Even the former chief of staff Yair Golan, is directing criticism at the government, claiming that the new offensive will cost Israel considerable bloodshed.

"The cabinet decided last night to expand the military operation inside the Gaza Strip – not to maintain Israel's security, but to rescue Netanyahu and the extremist government," he wrote on X.

The security cabinet is also reported to have approved a plan for resumed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which has been without aid for two months due to an Israeli blockade.

Israel: There is Enough Food

According to the new plan, which is to be launched when deemed "necessary", private companies instead of the military will be responsible for distributing supplies to individual families. This way, it will be more difficult for Hamas to get hold of the aid, Israel believes, according to The Times of Israel.

Israel has repeatedly claimed that Hamas steals food and other goods intended for civilians, which the extremist organization denies.

According to Israel, there is still enough food in Gaza. This has been contradicted for weeks by a long list of aid organizations and UN agencies, which have warned of impending famine among Palestinians.

I don't understand why we need to give them anything at all – they have enough food there. We should bomb Hamas' food storage, said far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in the cabinet, according to Haaretz.