TEL AVIV, May 5. /TASS/. The Israeli security cabinet has approved plans to expand the military operation in Gaza, which include the option of taking control of the enclave, the Ynet media outlet reported, citing a political source.
According to the source, the plans will include, among other things, occupying the Gaza Strip, holding territories, relocating the local population to the enclave’s south for security purposes, depriving the radical movement Hamas of the opportunity to distribute humanitarian aid, and conducting powerful strikes on radicals.
Dmitry Gendelman, an advisor to the Israeli prime minister’s office, wrote on Telegram that "the plan includes seizing and holding territories in Gaza, relocating civilians to the south for their own safety, depriving Hamas of access to humanitarian aid and intensified strikes on terrorist infrastructure and command posts." "The security cabinet unanimously approved the operational plan, presented by the chief of the General Staff, which aims to completely eliminate Hamas in Gaza and return Israeli hostages from captivity," he added, noting that "the plan is fully in line with the goals that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated in recent months."
According to Gendelman, the head of the government described the plan as "realistic and effective" as it "makes it possible to achieve the two key objectives of defeating Hamas and bringing the hostages back." Netanyahu "emphasized that unlike previous scenarios, the plan is not about conducting precision raids but a complete capture of territories and the establishment of firm control over them," the advisor added.
The Israeli cabinet also overwhelmingly supported the option of setting up a humanitarian mechanism to distribute international aid in Gaza provided that it "will not allow Hamas to control supplies and will dismantle its administrative capacity," Gendelman said.
Resumption of military operations
On March 18, the Israeli military resumed military operations in Gaza, carrying out intensive strikes on the enclave, thus breaking the ceasefire deal that had been reached in January. Netanyahu’s office stated that the move was due to Hamas’s rejection of proposals put forward by mediators and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff. According to the Israeli authorities, the goal of the operation is to ensure the release of all hostages held in Gaza. Hamas, in turn, blamed Israel and the US for the resumption of military activities.
According to the latest data from Israel, the radicals currently hold 24 hostages in the Gaza Strip, as well as the bodies of 35 captives.