TEL AVIV, May 5. /TASS/. Israel will maintain control over the buffer zone around the Gaza Strip regardless of any settlement agreements, whether temporary or permanent, Israel's Kan state broadcaster quoted a source as saying.

"Israel will not, under any temporary or permanent terms, leave the security zone around Gaza, which is designed to protect Israeli settlements and prevent the smuggling of weapons by Hamas," Kan cited its security source.

According to the broadcaster, the expanded military operation in the Gaza Strip is codenamed Gideon's Chariots. Its objectives are to "defeat and subdue Hamas in the Gaza Strip" and "ensure the release of all hostages." The source said the Israeli Army would increase its troop presence in Gaza and "act decisively to dismantle Hamas’s military and governmental infrastructure," while maintaining "strong pressure for the release of hostages," supported by "land, air, and sea defense" and employing "heavy artillery to neutralize explosives and demolish high-risk structures" in the enclave.

Kan reports that "a central component of the plan" involves the "large-scale evacuation of Gaza’s population from conflict areas to the southern part of the Strip," allowing the Israel Defense Forces "freedom of action." Unlike earlier operations, Israeli forces "will remain in all captured territory to block the return of terrorism" and "will hold cleared zones based on the Rafah model" in the south of the enclave, where "all threats have been eliminated, effectively making it part of the security zone."

The source also said the current military strategy offers a "window of opportunity" before US President Donald Trump’s regional visit concludes, to push through the hostage deal. However, even if an agreement is reached, "Israel will aim to retain the territories cleared and incorporated into the security zone," the source told the outlet. If the deal falls through, the Chariots of Gideon operation will begin in full and continue until all objectives are met.