Israel's military has said that expanded operations in Gaza approved by the government would include displacing "most" residents of the Palestinian territory, with the UN chief expressing alarm at the plan.
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".
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris has said that the reports of the planned extension of Israel's military operations was "alarming".
"Such a move would result in further deaths, casualties and untold suffering from the Palestinian population who already face a dire humanitarian situation," he said.
"I strongly urge the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint."
The reports of a planned extension of military operations by Israeli forces in Gaza are alarming.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) May 5, 2025
Such a move would result in further deaths, casualties and untold suffering for the Palestinian population who already face a dire humanitarian situation. pic.twitter.com/HlBOp9eds4
'Sacrificing' hostages
Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on 18 March 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.
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.
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'Reinforce control'
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza has said that at least 2,459 people had been killed since Israel resumed its campaign on 18 March, bringing the overall death toll from the war to 52,567.
Hamas's attack on 7 October 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."
Israeli strikes target Yemen's Hodeidah
The Israeli military has said it carried out airstrikes against Yemen's Hodeidah Port, a day after the Iran-aligned Houthis fired a missile that struck near Israel's main airport.
The military said in a statement that it attacked what it called Houthi terrorist targets in Hodeidah and its vicinity.
The strikes injured at least 21 people, the Houthi-run health ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said.
The Houthis shut down the area around the port and cement factory following the strikes, three sources said.
They said the extent of the damage at the port was unknown, yet the intensity of the strikes and fire caused severe damage to the containers' berth.
Two other sources estimated the damage at 70% of the port's five docks, warehouses and customs area.
The port is the second-largest in the Red Sea after Aden and is the entry point for about 80% of Yemen's food imports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate for Sunday's missile attack, which was the first known to have escaped interception by Israel's air defences in a series of attacks since March.
The Houthis, who control Yemen, have been firing at Israel and shipping in the Red Sea since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians.
