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The plan will be implemented after US President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East next week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Gaza's population would be relocated south after his security cabinet approved an expanded military operation in the enclave that one minister described as a plan to "conquer" the territory.
Sunday's vote came hours after the army said it would mobilize tens of thousands of reservists, bolstering its capacity to operate in the besieged Palestinian territory.
“ One thing will be clear: there will be no in-and-out. We will call in reserves to come in, hold the territory — we will not enter and then exit the area, only to conduct raids later. That is not the plan. The goal is the opposite. There will be a movement of the population to protect them ,” Netanyahu said in a video message Monday posted on X.
A senior Israeli security official said earlier that the operation in Gaza, dubbed "Gideon's Chariots," was unanimously approved by the security cabinet with the aim of subduing Hamas and securing the release of all hostages.
The plan will be implemented after US President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East next week to provide a window of opportunity for a hostage deal. If no hostage deal is reached, Operation Gideon's Chariots will begin in full force and will not stop until all of its objectives are achieved.
The plan, therefore, is to relocate the entire Gaza population to the south of the enclave, after which the humanitarian aid blockade could be completely lifted, the official said, adding that the army "will remain in every area it occupies."
"In no interim or permanent agreement will Israel evacuate the security buffer zone around Gaza, which is intended to protect Israeli communities and prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas ," the official said.
"We are on the verge of a major entry into Gaza based on the recommendation of the General Staff ," Netanyahu said in his video message, adding that military officials told him it was time to "begin the final movements."
'The highest goal'
The “supreme goal” of the expanding operation in Gaza, according to the army’s top spokeswoman, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, is the return of hostages, not the defeat of Hamas. His comments come just a week after Netanyahu said the “supreme goal” of the war is the defeat of Israel’s enemies, not the return of hostages.
“The main goal of the operation is the return of the hostages. After that - the fall of Hamas rule, its defeat and submission - but first of all, the return of the hostages ,” Defrin said, responding to a question about his message to the hostages’ families.
The military spokesman was immediately condemned by Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who said Defrin was "confused into thinking that the military is above the political level ."
Hostage families immediately condemned the announcement of the expansion of the war, fearing that the Israeli government is prioritizing the defeat of Hamas over securing a deal for the return of Israeli hostages - and is endangering them through expanded military operations.
Annexation of Gaza not ruled out
Meanwhile, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that " we will finally occupy the Gaza Strip ."
Annexation of Gaza is a possibility and, once the army expands its operations in the enclave, it will not back down - even if Hamas accepts a new hostage deal, he told a conference in Jerusalem, referring to the security cabinet's decision on Sunday.
" Once we occupy it and hold it - we can talk about sovereignty (over Gaza). But I did not ask for this to be included in the war objectives. Once the maneuvers begin, there will be no withdrawal from the territories we have occupied, not even in exchange for hostages ," he said.
Smotrich deals primarily with the country's finances, but he is a member of the security cabinet and has significant influence over Netanyahu, who relies on his support to prevent the government from collapsing.
More than 2,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since mid-March, when Israel launched a wave of deadly attacks, shattering a ceasefire that had been in place for nearly two months. More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The escalation of fighting will be gradual to give a chance for a renewed ceasefire and hostage release deal before U.S. President Donald Trump visits the region in mid-May, officials said. Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar next week, but there is currently no stop in Israel planned.
The UN expressed concern about the latest expansion plan, saying it would lead to the killing of more civilians.
"I can tell you that the Secretary-General is alarmed by these reports of Israeli plans to expand ground operations and prolong its military presence in Gaza ," the Secretary-General's deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, told reporters on Monday. / Adapted from "CNN"
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