UPDATE 2 - Israel approves plan to expand Gaza onslaught, occupy territories

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Ahmed Asmar

JERUSALEM / ANKARA (AA) - Israel’s Security Cabinet unanimously approved a plan early Monday to expand its ongoing military onslaught on the Gaza Strip and occupy territories inside the enclave.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved “the operational plan” submitted by army chief Eyal Zamir to "defeat Hamas" and return Israeli captives held in Gaza.

According to the statement, the plan requires the army “to conquer Gaza and hold the territory under its control.”

Later, in a recorded address posted on X, Netanyahu said: “We met late into the night on Sunday in the Cabinet and decided to launch an intensive military operation in Gaza, based on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff (Eyal Zamir).”

According to Netanyahu, the army chief's recommendation calls for the defeat of Hamas, a goal he claimed could also help secure the release of Israeli hostages. “I agree with him on this,” Netanyahu added.

His remarks align with recent statements by senior ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who previously declared that eliminating Hamas takes precedence over recovering hostages.

Netanyahu also said there is a plan to evacuate Gaza’s population, claiming it aims to “protect” civilians, though he offered no further details. “We’ve spoken a lot about this issue, and we won’t go into it now,” he added.

Signaling a shift from previous military campaigns, Netanyahu stressed that Israel would not conduct a temporary ground operation only to withdraw later. “Let it be clear, we will not enter Gaza and then pull out as we’ve done in the past. We will not send reserve forces to temporarily control the area and then leave it with only sporadic raids on what remains. That will not happen," he said, adding: "What we’re planning is the exact opposite,” though he did not elaborate on what that would entail.

Israeli Channel 12 said the plan also includes the forcible relocation of Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said the Israeli plan will help accelerate the relocation of Palestinians out of Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s plan.

Karhi claimed that the migration of Palestinians from Gaza is “the solution” for the enclave, according to the public broadcaster KAN.

There is “political activity” for Israel in looking for countries that may accept Palestinians from Gaza, he added.

On Feb. 4, Trump said that the US would “take over” and “own” Gaza, describing it as a “completely destroyed” area. The idea has been rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

There was no immediate Palestinian comment on the Israeli plan.

Israeli estimates suggest 59 captives remain in Gaza, with 24 believed alive. In contrast, more than 9,500 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israel under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights organizations.

More than 52,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.