Israel vows to escalate war with new plan to ‘conquer’ Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the population of Gaza will be displaced to the south after his security cabinet approved an expanded military operation in the enclave that a minister described as a plan to “conquer” the territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the population of Gaza will be displaced to the south after his security cabinet approved an expanded military operation in the enclave that a minister described as a plan to “conquer” the territory. The vote on Sunday came hours after the military said it would mobilize tens of thousands of reservists, strengthening its capacity to operate in the besieged Palestinian territory. “One thing will be clear: there will be no in-and-out,” Netanyahu said in a Monday video message posted on X. “We’ll call up reserves to come, hold territory — we’re not going to enter and then exit the area, only to carry out raids afterward. That’s not the plan. The intention is the opposite.” “There will be a movement of the population to protect them,” Netanyahu said of the “intensified operation.” Less than 24 hours later, an Israeli strike on a school compound housing displaced people in central Gaza killed at least 20 people, according to officials at the nearby Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital. The Israeli military said they struck a Hamas command and control center on Tuesday, saying that “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming uninvolved civilians.” A senior Israeli security official earlier said the operation in Gaza, called “Gideon’s Chariots,” was unanimously approved by the security cabinet with the aim of subduing Hamas and securing the release of all hostages.