Israel 'unanimously approves' plan which includes Gaza 'conquest': Official

Israel has drawn up a fresh Gaza plan, which includes a "conquest" of the Palestinian territory, an official said on Monday.

"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," news agency AFP quoted the official as saying.

According to the official, Israel's security cabinet, which includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers, "unanimously approved" the plan, which is aimed at defeating Hamas, the Islamist group which controls Gaza.

The strategy also includes "powerful strikes" against Hamas, he added.

Additionally, the Israeli cabinet approved the "possibility of humanitarian distribution" in Gaza, which has been under a full Israeli blockade since March 2.

The Netanyahu-led cabinet concluded there was "currently enough food" in the territory, although humanitarian organisations and United Nations agencies have repeatedly warned of the Israeli blockade's dire consequences for Gaza's 2.4 million people.

On Sunday, Israel's army chief, lieutenant general Eyal Zamir, said the military was calling up "tens of thousands" of reservists to expand the war in Gaza.

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

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

Hamas continues to hold 58 hostages from its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

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