PM Netanyahu Calls Planned New Attack On Gaza To Beat Hamas

Israeli military operations in Gaza. (Twitter/@idfonline)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday a new attack on Gaza would be an intensive military operation aimed at defeating Hamas, but did not specify how much the enclave would be seized.

"Residents will be moved, for their own protection," PM Netanyahu said in a video posted on X.

PM Netanyahu added that the Israeli army would not enter the Gaza Strip, launched an attack, and then withdrew.

"The goal is the opposite," he said.

As previously reported, PM Netanyahu's Israeli Security Cabinet voted to escalate attacks on Palestinian militant groups Hamas in Gaza to seize the entire enclave and control its territory, an Israeli official said on Monday.

Reports by Israeli public broadcaster Kan, citing officials familiar with the details, said the new plan was gradual and would take months, with troops focused first on one Palestinian enclave.

Such a schedule could open up opportunities for a ceasefire and talks on a hostage release agreement ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the region next week, according to security cabinet minister Zeev Elkin.

"There is still a chance until President Trump ends his visit to the Middle East, if Hamas understands that we are serious," Elkin told Kan on Monday.

Israel, which has taken control of about a third of Gaza's territory, resumed ground operations in March following the failure of a US-backed ceasefire that has halted fighting for two months. Since then, Israel has imposed a total blockade of aid to the enclave.