TEL AVIV/GAZA STRIP: Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ramp up the war against Hamas in Gaza, an official said, with plans to capture more territory in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave and call up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.

An Israeli political source told AFP that Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan that includes the “conquest” of the Gaza Strip and continued promotion of emigration for Gazans. The source said the plan entails "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection," adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “continues to promote” US President Donald Trump’s plan for the voluntary departure of Gazans.

The plan, which the official said would be gradual, could mark a significant escalation in the fighting, which resumed in mid-March after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on extending an eight-week truce. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. 

An Israeli campaign group said Monday that the plan adopted by Israel's security cabinet is “sacrificing” hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

“The plan approved by the cabinet deserves to be called the 'Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan' for sacrificing the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, in a reference to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Netanyahu. 

On Sunday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and would “operate in additional areas” in Gaza while continuing to strike militant infrastructure.

Israel already controls roughly half of Gaza’s territory, including a buffer zone along the border and three east-west corridors across the Strip, squeezing war-weary Palestinians into ever smaller and more densely populated pockets of land.

For weeks, Israel has sought to pressure Hamas into showing greater flexibility in ceasefire negotiations. In early March, it halted the entry of humanitarian aid — a ban that remains in place and has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis. Hunger is widespread, and desperation has fueled looting and civil unrest.

Israeli Airstrikes

Earlier on Monday, Gaza’s civil defense agency said two Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people in the territory’s north. “Our teams found 15 martyrs and 10 wounded, mostly children and women, after an Israeli strike on three apartments” northwest of Gaza City, said agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal. Four more were killed in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya, he added.

Since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, more than 2,600 people — many women and children — have been killed, according to local health officials. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, though roughly 35 are believed to be dead.

The war has displaced more than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and turned large swaths of the enclave into a devastated moonscape. According to Palestinian health officials, over 52,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive, though their count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Humanitarian Distribution

Later in the day, Israel’s security cabinet also approved the “possibility of humanitarian distribution” in Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade for over two months. “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 political source told AFP. “During the cabinet discussion, it was mentioned that there is currently enough food in Gaza,” the source added.

The previous ceasefire had been expected to lead to negotiations toward ending the war, but those talks have repeatedly broken down over disagreements about the final outcome. Israel insists the war will continue until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas has demanded a permanent ceasefire as part of any deal.