JERUSALEM / ANKARA

Israel’s Security Cabinet unanimously approved a plan early Monday to expand its military onslaught on the Gaza Strip and occupy the entire territory.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved an “operational plan” submitted by Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.

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.”

According to Netanyahu, the army chief's recommendation calls for the defeat of the Palestinian group Hamas, a goal he claimed could also help secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.

“I agree with him on this,” Netanyahu added.

His remarks aligned with recent statements by senior ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who previously declared that eliminating Hamas takes precedence over recovering the 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 military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said during a press conference that the army has a “well-organized plan” and is now transitioning into a “more complex, powerful and intense phase.”

He said the operation would involve a broad offensive and the forced relocation of most residents to a zone Israel describes as “free of Hamas.”

The term revives Israel’s use of the so-called “humanitarian safe zone” in Gaza previously declared in the Al-Mawasi area along the Palestinian coast—from southern Khan Younis to the northern edge of Deir al-Balah. That area has seen repeated Israeli strikes, including deadly attacks on tents sheltering women, children and journalists.

Defrin said the army would continue carrying out airstrikes and dismantling Hamas infrastructure as part of the new phase.

Israel’s 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 as proposed by US President Donald Trump.

Karhi said the migration of Palestinians from Gaza is “the solution” for the enclave, according to the Israeli 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 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 comment from the Palestinian side on the Israeli plan.

Israeli estimates suggest that 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.