Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved plans to control and indefinitely hold all of Gaza.
The plans reportedly call for Israeli troops to gradually reclaim all of Gaza, flattening any remaining buildings and moving all 2.1M Palestinian residents to a “humanitarian area” in southern Gaza.
Israel’s also switching up the flow of aid into Gaza. After a nine-week pause, Israel plans to use private companies and military hubs to distribute aid—changes that the U.N.’s humanitarian office criticized as an “attempt to weaponize the aid.”
An Israeli official said the new offensive wouldn’t begin until after President Trump’s planned trip to the Middle East next week, opening “a window of opportunity” for Hamas to discuss releasing the remaining 59 hostages and another ceasefire. Hamas said there would be “no point in any negotiations“ while Israel continues its “starvation war.”
