add to data
Israeli Leadership Votes to Expand Gaza Ground Offensive
The Israeli official said that the newly approved offensive plan would move Gaza's civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas hands, though the blockade will not be lifted yet.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet voted to scale up the offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza to the point of seizing the entire enclave and holding its territories, an Israeli official said on Monday.
A report by Israel's public broadcaster Kan, citing officials with knowledge of the details, said the new plan was gradual and would take months, with forces focusing first on one area of the battered enclave.
Such a timeline could leave the door open for a ceasefire and hostage release deal talks ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump to the region next week, according to security cabinet minister Zeev Elkin.