Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared Tuesday to unveil an updated Gaza war plan designed to destroy Hamas and secure the release of dozens of hostages, with Israeli media reporting he would order the total occupation of the Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu was expected to meet security chiefs in Jerusalem to issue new orders, even as Israel's diplomats convened a UN Security Council meeting in New York to highlight the plight of Israelis held in Gaza.
The timing of the security meeting has not been officially confirmed. Netanyahu said Monday that it would be "in the coming days".
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 said Netanyahu would meet the army chief of staff, and the defense and army ministers. Unnamed senior officials told Israeli media he intends to order the re-occupation of Gaza.
"Netanyahu wants the Israeli army to conquer the entire Gaza Strip," said a report on public broadcaster Kan.
"Several cabinet members who spoke with the prime minister confirmed that he has decided to extend the fight to areas where hostages might be held."
The private daily Maariv declared: "The die is cast. We're en route for the total conquest of Gaza."
While the reconquest plan has not been officially confirmed, it has already drawn an angry response from the Palestinian Authority and Gaza's Hamas-run government, which insisted it will not shift its position on ceasefire talks.
"We want to reach an agreement that ends the war. The ball is now in the hands of Israel and the Americans, who support Israeli positions and delay the conclusion of an agreement," senior Hamas official Husam Badran told broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Staple foods
Permitted goods under the new mechanism will include food staples, fruit, vegetables, baby formula and hygiene products, COGAT said.
On Monday. Netanyahu insisted Israel's war goals remained "the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel".
His statement came after hundreds of retired Israeli security chiefs wrote to US President Donald Trump to urge him to convince Netanyahu to end the war, arguing that Israel has already scored a military victory and should seek to negotiate the hostages' release.
The families of the hostages are also horrified by talk of escalation, accusing the government of putting their relatives in renewed danger, even as Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad release propaganda videos showing emaciated captives.
By Hervé Bar
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