Israel cabinet approves plan including Gaza 'conquest' — official

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to expand military operations in Gaza, including the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory and a push for its residents to leave, an official said Monday.

The decision, made overnight, came hours after the military announced it was calling up tens of thousands of reservists to expand its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"The plan will include, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection," the official said.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu "continues to promote" a proposal by US President Donald Trump for the voluntary departure of Gazans to neighbouring countries such as Jordan or Egypt, the source added.

The cabinet -- which includes Netanyahu and several Israeli ministers -- "unanimously approved" the plan aimed at defeating Gaza's Palestinian Islamist rulers Hamas and securing the return of hostages held in Gaza.

The official source said the plan included "powerful strikes against Hamas", without specifying their nature.

On Sunday, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said the military was calling up "tens of thousands" of reservists to expand its war in Gaza.

The cabinet also approved the "possibility of humanitarian distribution" in Gaza, under full Israeli blockade since March 2.

It said there was "currently enough food" in the territory, although humanitarian organisations and UN agencies have warned of the blockade's dire consequences for Gaza's 2.4 million people.

The cabinet "approved by a large majority the possibility of a humanitarian distribution, if necessary, to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities", the official said.

Israel has intensified aerial bombardments and expanded ground operations in the Gaza Strip since resuming its offensive in the Palestinian territory on March 18.

Israel says the blockade and intensified bombardments aim to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages held in Gaza.

Israel's military offensive has killed at least 52,535 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the territory.