Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation was “intensive” and that more Palestinians in Gaza moved “for their own safety.”
A team running with full force to control large wildfires in the Jerusalem region
Fire teams were “running at full power” as they controlled large wildfires affecting Israel and parts of the Jerusalem region.
- “We are finally going to conquer Gaza. We are no longer afraid of the word ‘profession’,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotlich told the Prosetler Conference in an online discussion.
- According to the poll, Israeli people want a contract to reclaim the remaining 59 hostages still being held in Gaza, with a scene of police and dozens of protesters fighting and angry outside the assembly.
- Hamas called for “except for a comprehensive deal that includes a complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, a reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the release of all prisoners from both sides.”
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the growing attacks on Palestinian extremist groups were “intensive” after approving a plan that could include the seizure of the Gaza Strip and control of aid.
But Israeli defense officials said the operation would not begin before US President Donald Trump visits the Middle East next week.
The decision highlights the threat that a war that has escalated international pressure on Israel amid declining public support at home could continue without an end after weeks of efforts to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas.
A report by the public Israeli broadcaster Kang, citing officials with detailed knowledge, said the new plan would be loose and take several months.
In a video message on May 5, Netanyahu said the operation was “intensive” and that the Palestinians in Gaza moved “for their own safety.”
He said Israeli forces would not follow previous tactics based on short attacks by troops outside Gaza. “The intent is the opposite,” he said. He reflects comments from other Israeli officials who said Israel would retain the ground it seized.
The Israeli forces have already taken over the area about a third of Gaza, expelling the population and building surveillance and surveillance posts on the ground that the troops described as security zones, but the new plans will go further.
One Israeli official said the newly approved attack would seize all of the territory of the Gaza Strip, move civilians south, and prevent humanitarian assistance from falling into Hamas’ hands.
Defence officials said the distribution of aid, handled by international aid groups and UN organisations, will be handed over and distributed to private companies in the southern region of Rafa when the attack begins.
Israeli forces have shown little desire to occupy Gaza through the war, but have declined to comment on the remarks made by government officials and politicians.
Israel resumed its attacks in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that halted fighting for two months. Since then, it has imposed aid lockdown and painted a warning from the United Nations that a population of 2.3 million is facing imminent hunger.
The Secretary of Defense said that Israel will retain seized security zones along Gaza’s boundaries as it is essential to protecting Israeli communities around the enclave.
However, he said there will be a “window of opportunity” during Trump’s visit for ceasefire and hostage release deals.
“Without a hostage deal, ‘Gideon Chariots’ starts at a very strong level and won’t stop until all the goals are achieved,” he said.
“A complete ceasefire, a complete retreat”
Hamas official Mahmoud Maldawi rejected what he calls “pressure and threats.”
“There is no deal other than a comprehensive contract that includes a complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, a reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the release of all prisoners from both sides,” he said.
Israel has yet to present a clear vision for postwar Gaza after a campaign that replaced a large portion of Gaza’s population and ousted Gaza’s population in response to aid supply that has been decreasing rapidly since lockdown.
The minister said it cannot entrust the distribution of aid to international organizations that denounce Hamas’ ability to seize supplies aimed at civilians.
Instead, authorities are considering plans for private contractors to handle distribution through what the United Nations described as an Israeli hub.
On Monday, Jan Egland, executive director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in X that Israel is requesting that the UN and non-governmental organisations close down Gaza’s aid delivery system.
“We’re going to finally conquer Gaza.”
The decision to expand the operation was quickly welcomed by hardline figures in the Israeli government and has long been forced to take over Israel’s full acquisition of the Gaza Strip and permanent evacuation of the population.
“We are finally going to conquer Gaza. We are no longer afraid of the word ‘profession’,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotlich told the Prosetler Conference in an online discussion.
However, polls show that Israelis increasingly hope to reclaim the 59 remaining hostages in Gaza, with dozens of protesters fighting with police outside the assembly getting angry.
“All the families are tired,” said Ruby Chen, whose son Itai was killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
As Israel faces threats from Iran-supported by Yemeni Iran, it is also facing restrictions that expand the capabilities of long-term military operations in the missiles that hit near Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, the unstable Syria next door and the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the troops have already begun issuing tens of thousands of convening orders to reserves.
A government spokesman said the reserves were not occupying it, but was being called to expand operations in Gaza.
Zamir, who took office in March, opposed calls from government hardlines who wanted to suffocate aid completely, according to Kang, and said he had to get help from his assistants immediately.
According to Israeli tallies, the war was triggered by an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and 251 people were held hostages in Gaza.
Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza killed more than 52,000 Palestinians. Most of them killed civilians, according to local health authorities, leaving the majority of Gaza in abandoned.
