Portugal Colonial - Israel says 'most' Gazans to be displaced in expanded operation

The Israeli security cabinet approved overnight the plan, which an Israeli official said will entail "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories".

The decision comes as the United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.

A UN spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "alarmed" by the Israeli plan that "will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza".

"Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state," said spokesman Farhan Haq.

A second senior Israeli security official said that "a central component of the plan is a large-scale evacuation of the entire Gazan population from the fighting zones... to areas in southern Gaza".

Military spokesman Effie Defrin said the planned offensive will include "moving most of the population of the Gaza Strip... to protect them".

Nearly all of the Gaza Strip's 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war, sparked by Hamas militants' October 2023 attack on Israel.

Israel has pushed for Palestinians to leave Gaza, with the senior security official saying that a "voluntary transfer program... will be part of the operation's goals".

For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the "Nakba", or catastrophe -- the mass displacement in the war that led to Israel's creation in 1948.

The European Union voiced concern and urged restraint from Israel, saying the plan "will result in further casualties and suffering for the Palestinian people".

- 'Sacrificing' hostages -

Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Hamas.

On Monday, rescuers in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 19 people.

Israeli officials have said that the renewed fighting was aimed at defeating Hamas and securing the return of hostages held by militants since the 2023 attack, although critics have charged that it puts the captives in mortal danger.

An Israeli campaign group representing the relatives of hostages said the plan for an expanded offensive was "sacrificing" those held in Gaza.

Yossi Gershon, a 36-year-old Israeli civil servant, told AFP that he supported the plan, saying "it's a smart move to finally address the root problem properly".

"Unfortunately, there really isn't peace with the other people," he added.

Tamar Lazarow, 59, told AFP that the new plan "is a thoughtless way of endangering more lives on both sides".

"Enough innocent people have died... I do not really trust our government to make decisions coming from the right place."

The decision by the security cabinet, which includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers, came after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists.

The security source said the troop deployment would "allow a window of opportunity" for a possible hostage deal coinciding with US President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East next week.

- 'Reinforce control' -

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 2,459 people had been killed since Israel resumed its campaign on March 18, bringing the overall death toll from the war to 52,567.

Hamas's attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Out of the 251 people abducted by militants that day, 58 are still held in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

The first Israeli official said that the security cabinet had also approved the "possibility of humanitarian distribution, if necessary" in Gaza, "to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities".

Israel has accused the Palestinian militant group of diverting aid, which Hamas denies.

A grouping of UN agencies and aid groups in the Palestinian territory has said Israel sought to "shut down the existing aid distribution system... and have us agree to deliver supplies through Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military".

The plan "contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic", the bodies said in a statement.

Hamas said the proposed aid framework amounted to "political blackmail".

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has previously called to establish Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory, said that "the only aid that should enter Gaza is for voluntary immigration."

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P.Sousa--PC