Following the approval by his security cabinet of an expanded military campaign in the enclave, which one minister characterized as a plan to “conquer” the territory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the people of Gaza will be relocated to the south.
The military's announcement that it will activate tens of thousands of reservists to increase its ability to operate in the beleaguered Palestinian territories was followed by the vote on Sunday.
Netanyahu stated in a video message uploaded on X on Monday that "one thing will be clear: there will be no in-and-out." "Reserves will be called in to hold territory; we won't enter the area, leave, and then conduct raids later. That isn't the strategy. The opposite is the goal.
Regarding the "intensified operation," Netanyahu stated, "There will be a movement of the population to protect them."
According to a senior Israeli security official, the security cabinet unanimously approved the operation in Gaza, known as "Gideon's Chariots," to bring Hamas to heel and ensure the release of all hostages.
According to the person, the plan would be put into action following US President Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East next week to "provide a window of opportunity" for a hostage agreement.
"Operation Gideon's Chariots will start with full force and not stop until all its objectives are achieved if no hostage deal is reached."
The official stated that the military "will remain in every area it captures" and that the goal is to relocate all of Gaza's residents south of the strip before lifting the complete humanitarian aid blockade.
Israel will not leave the security buffer zone surrounding Gaza, which is meant to safeguard Israeli civilians and stop the flow of weapons to Hamas, under any temporary or permanent arrangement, the official stated.
In his video message, Netanyahu stated, "We are on the eve of a major entry into Gaza based on the recommendation of the General Staff." He also mentioned that military authorities informed him that it was time to "start the final moves."
"Highest objective"
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the military's chief spokesman, stated that returning the hostages, rather than conquering Hamas, is the "highest goal" of the growing campaign in Gaza. He made these remarks a week after Netanyahu declared that defeating Israel's adversaries, not the repatriation of captives, was the war's "supreme goal."
The return of the hostages is the operation's main objective. In response to a question concerning his message to captive families, Defrin stated, "After that — the collapse of Hamas rule, its defeat and subjugation — but first and foremost, the return of the hostages."
Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, quickly denounced the military spokesperson, claiming that Defrin was "confused into thinking that the army is above the political echelon."
The revelation of the war's expansion was immediately denounced by the families of the hostages, who feared that the Israeli government was putting their lives in jeopardy by focusing on defeating Hamas rather than reaching an agreement to return Israeli prisoners.
"The President has made clear the consequences Hamas will face if it continues to hold hostages, including American Edan Alexander and the bodies of four Americans," National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told CNN when asked if the US supports the new Israeli strategy. This dispute and the restart of hostilities are entirely the fault of Hamas.
Annexation of Gaza is not ruled out.
On Monday, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, declared that "we are finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip."
Referring to the security cabinet decision on Sunday, Netanyahu stated at a conference in Jerusalem that annexing Gaza is a possibility and that the military will not retreat if it expands its operations in the territory, even if Hamas agrees to a fresh hostage arrangement.
After we take control and remain, we may discuss sovereignty over Gaza. However, I didn't insist that it be part of the war's goals," he continued. "There will be no retreat from the areas we have taken, not even in return for hostages, once the maneuver starts."
Smotrich is largely in charge of the nation's finances, but he also serves on the security cabinet and has considerable influence over Netanyahu, who depends on him to keep the government from falling apart.
Since Israel's surge of fatal strikes in mid-March broke a ceasefire that had been in effect for almost two months, more than 2,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that since the start of the war, over 52,000 Palestinians have been murdered in Gaza.
Before US President Donald Trump visits the area in mid-May, the fighting would be gradually increased to allow for a renewed truce and hostage-release agreement, the officials added. Trump does not yet have a stop in Israel planned, but he is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar next week.
The UN expressed alarm about the most recent expansion plan, claiming it will result in additional civilian deaths.
"These reports of Israeli plans to extend its military presence in Gaza and expand ground operations have alarmed the Secretary General," Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the Secretary General, told reporters on Monday.
A new assistance system
We are currently in the ninth week of an Israeli blockade of all humanitarian supplies entering the Gaza Strip.
Israel claims that to put pressure on Hamas to free the detainees, it blocked the entry of humanitarian aid. However, international organizations claim that its activities are against international law and could lead to a man-made famine; some even charge Israel with committing a war crime by employing starvation as a weapon of war.
According to one of the sources, the cabinet also considered permitting the restart of humanitarian supplies into Gaza under a revised framework that was accepted but has not yet been put into effect.
Two far-right cabinet members, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Settlements Minister Orit Strook, opposed any resumption of aid, while Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir claimed Israel was required by international law to facilitate them. The dispute erupted during Sunday's meeting over the resumption of aid deliveries, according to Israel's public broadcaster, Kan 11.
One of the sources told CNN that the claims in the Israeli media regarding the disputes over the help "are not wrong."
According to a State Department official and an Israeli source familiar with the situation, the United States and Israel are debating a way to provide aid to Gaza that avoids Hamas, CNN said. An announcement might be made "in the coming days," according to the official.
According to a State Department official, the distribution method under development is meant to enable aid to reach the Palestinian population while providing controls to ensure that Hamas or Islamic Jihad does not divert it.
According to the spokesperson, the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Gaza and the management of the aid mechanism would be handled by an unidentified private foundation.
According to the spokeswoman, the US anticipates that the UN and foreign relief agencies will cooperate with the foundation's process to prevent supplies from getting to Hamas.
"We reject turning aid into a tool for political blackmail and support the international position that rejects any arrangements that do not respect humanitarian principles," Hamas said in a statement on Monday, criticizing the new structure.
The new framework was also rejected on Sunday by humanitarian organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory, which claimed it was "designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items" and would not guarantee help reached Gaza's most vulnerable citizens.
A joint statement from the organizations stated, "The Emergency Relief Coordinator and the UN Secretary-General have made it clear that we will not participate in any scheme that does not adhere to the global humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality."
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