Israeli security cabinet approves expansion of Gaza offensive

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The Israeli government has approved plans to escalate its offensive in Gaza, including the possibility of a complete reoccupation of the Palestinian enclave.

The unanimous decision of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet on Monday was to fail to completely defeat Hamas so far or ensure that the group releases all remaining Israeli hostages after nearly 19 months of war.

Netanyahu said the military proposed a “good plan” that would eventually reach the goal of the Israeli war.

Israel began calling up thousands of military reserves over the weekend, but Israeli security officials said the operation would not begin until U.S. President Donald Trump visits several Gulf countries next week.

Until then, Hamas was a “window of opportunity” to release additional hostages in exchange for a temporary multi-week truce, the official said.

They added: “If a hostage deal is not reached, the (operation) will start with a strong intensity and will not stop until all goals are reached.”

According to two Israeli officials, the expanded military offensive will intensify ground, air and ocean attacks throughout Gaza, with Israeli forces clearing and fixing territory deep in the zone where they do not intend to retreat.

It will include the potential reconquest of the entire enclave, the forced evacuation of the Palestinian population to the south again and control of Hamas's supplies of humanitarian aid.

The Israeli cabinet also formally approved the implementation of a controversial new humanitarian aid system to Gaza – “if necessary,” Israeli officials said.

The proposal will allow U.S. private security contractors to transfer aid to what is known as humanitarian zone in southern Southern Gaza from where Palestinians reviewed can retrieve parcels from it and take them home. The program has been completely rejected by international aid organizations because of shortcomings and deficiencies.

Israel broke the two-month ceasefire and resumed its offensive in Gaza in March, where its troops once again seized small pieces of the territory's southern and northern parts.

Since then, Israel has also cut off the supply of food, fuel, medicine and aid in Gaza for its 21,000 people, aggravated hunger and malnutrition in the territory and pushed the prices of fruits and vegetables to a few places that are still available.

The Israeli security official said the blockade around Gaza will only be lifted, and a new humanitarian plan has been launched after a military offensive began and a massive evacuation of the Palestinian population.

The Netanyahu coalition relies on its far-right ministers of parliamentary majority that have been demanding greater action in Gaza, including a full reoccupation of the territory, and while Hamas still captures 59 Israeli hostages, less than half of the hostages are still considered alive.

The Israelites' relatives are still captured in Gaza, the statement said: “Any escalation in the battle will put hostages-inhabited and the dead in direct danger” and risk the lives of other Israeli soldiers.

“The vast majority of Israel’s public viewed the return of hostages as the highest moral priority in the United States,” the relative added.

After breaking the armistice in March, the Israeli government has previously said the goal of the new operation is to put pressure on Hamas to release additional hostages. However, Netanyahu refused to be fully committed to ending the war due to Hamas’ demands, but negotiations on another deal stalled.

Netanyahu said last week that while taking hostages home was a “very important goal” in the war, the “ultimate goal is to defeat our enemies.”

According to Palestinian officials, Israel's attack in Gaza killed more than 52,500 people and reduced most of its territory to rubble. According to Israeli officials, militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages in the Hamas attack that triggered the conflict.