Israel army says expanded Gaza operation includes 'moving most of the population'

ISRAEL HAS APPROVED plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials have said.

The Israeli army said its planned expanded offensive included “moving most of the population” of Gaza.

“The operation will include a broad attack, including moving most of the population of the Gaza Strip. This is in order to protect them in a sterile area away from Hamas,” army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said.

According to one official, the decision came just hours after the military called up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers to expand its offensive against the Gaza Strip.

It includes a “conquest” of Gaza, the holding of the region and moving the population away from their homes, the official said. The plan, agreed at the Israeli security cabinet, has been backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official said.

A third person, a defence official, said the new plan would not begin until after US President Donald Trump wraps up his expected visit to the Middle East this month, allowing for the possibility that Israel might agree to a ceasefire in the meantime.

The plans have been denounced by the families of hostages who were taken into Gaza following 7 October attack in 2023. The Israeli campaign group said the plan is “sacrificing” hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

‘Despicable and unconscionable’

The European Union has called for restraint from Israel, as did Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris, who described the plans as “alarming”.

“Such a move would result in further deaths, casualties and untold suffering for the Palestinian population who already face a dire humanitarian situation,” Harris said in a statement this afternoon.

He added: “What is happening to the people of Gaza is despicable and unconscionable. This is a humanitarian catastrophe.

“We need to see an immediate cessation of hostilities, release of remaining hostages and the resumption of humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza.”

On 18 March, Israel breached ceasefire orders between its military and militant group Hamas and resumed strikes on Gaza – killing more than 2,600 people in the weeks since, many of them women and children, according to local health officials.

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Israel’s retaliatory offensive on Gaza – following Hamas’ attack on the country in October 2023 – has killed at least 52,535 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry.

Fighting between Israel and Hamas continues as the militant group has yet to release a number of hostages that it brought to Gaza following the 7 October attack, during which it killed over 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians.

The security cabinet – which includes Netanyahu and several Israeli ministers – “unanimously approved” the plan aimed at defeating Hamas and securing the return of hostages held in Gaza, officials told the AFP news agency and Press Association.

Powerful strikes are expected on the region, one official said.

Blockades on Gaza ‘should horrify all humanity’

Almost every humanitarian aid group operating in Gaza has been raising the alarm over the dwindling level of food and resources in the region. Israel has imposed a full blockade on Gaza since 2 March.

While the Israeli government claims there is “currently enough food” in Gaza, aid groups and UN agencies have completely rejected the assertion. Many of them have said the food shortages in the region has led them to a situation where the population is nearing famine.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland this morning, Executive Director of Unicef Ireland Peter Power said: “We are approaching a worst-case scenario which [...] should horrify all humanity.”

Power was quoting Dr Michael Ryan, deputy secretary general of the World Health Organisation, who this week issued a stark warning on the dangers facing the population of Gaza as a result of the months-long blockade on the region.

“What we are witnessing right now in Gaza is nothing short of barbaric and inhumane,” Power said.

“There can be no justification for withholding food and water from starving children.

“That is where we are now.”

Unicef has called on Israel to end its blockade on Gaza and for Hamas to release Israel hostages which are still being held in the region. He stressed, however, that there “seems to be a clear intention [by Israel] to allow people to starve to death” in Gaza.

“We need to call that out for what it is. That is a war crime,” Power said. “And people who make the decisions withhold this food at the border, where it is readily available, are committing a war crime.”

Israel’s security cabinet today agreed to the “possibility” of distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza so long as it is carried out by its military. The government there has expressed concern over militant groups taking control of the much-needed food resources.

With reporting by AFP, Press Association and Jane Matthews

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