June 23, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel approved plans Monday to capture the entire Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, a move that, if implemented, would vastly expand Israel's operations there.
Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote, hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
The new plan, which the officials said was meant to help Israel achieve its war aims of defeating the Hamas terrorist group and freeing the hostages it holds in Gaza, also calls for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Gaza's south.
A third person, a defense official, said the new plan would not begin until after U.S. 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. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing military plans.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after a decades-long occupation and then imposed a blockade on the territory along with Egypt.
Since Israel ended a ceasefire with the Hamas terrorist group in mid-March, Israel has unleashed fierce strikes on the territory that have killed hundreds. It now controls roughly 50% of Gaza.
The war began when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, although about 35 are believed to be dead.
The Israeli officials said the plan included the “capturing of the strip and the holding of territories.”
The plan would also seek to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, a role that Israel says strengthens the group's rule in Gaza. Israel also accuses Hamas of keeping the aid for itself.
The defense official said the plan would “separate” Hamas from the aid by using private firms and by using specified areas secured by the Israeli military. The official added that Palestinians would be screened to prevent Hamas from accessing the aid.
