The document was approved by Israel's security cabinet and also calls for the forced transfer of thousands of Palestinians to the south.

Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan for the permanent occupation of the Gaza Strip. The news was reported by several international outlets and confirmed by sources within the executive led by Benjamin Netanyahu, opening a new chapter in the devastating Israeli offensive on Palestinian territory. Since mid-March, Israel has resumed bombing the Strip, violating the ceasefire reached in January, and for over two months has blocked humanitarian aid from entering the territory. It is now preparing to occupy new portions of land, forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the south, and overhaul the humanitarian food distribution system.

The army's new plan was unanimously approved by the Israeli security cabinet on the evening of Sunday 4 May. The objective is "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the occupation of its territory."

After a month and a half of ceasefire with Hamas — reached last January — Israel on 2 March blocked the entry of humanitarian aid and from mid-month resumed bombing, forcing thousands of people into continuous displacement and once again occupying portions of territory. As The Guardian highlights, approximately 70 per cent of the Strip is currently under the control of Israel and its civilian evacuation orders. That percentage is now set to rise.

The plan approved by the security cabinet, whose timeline has not yet been made public, opens a new phase of the violent Israeli offensive on Gaza. In recent days, the army has called up tens of thousands of reservists to deploy in Palestinian territory, and the new plan provides for the forced transfer of hundreds of thousands of people to the south of the Strip — much as things stood before the January ceasefire. Israeli troops would occupy Palestinian territory in a stable and continuous manner, and the Israeli government also aims to dismantle the UN aid distribution system, handing it over to private contractors under the control of the army itself. For the time being, Israeli government sources have stated, "there is enough food." This is a manifest falsehood: for over two months Israel has been using hunger as a weapon of war, food stocks are exhausted, and the local population is surviving on an average of one meal a day.

The plan approved by the Israeli security cabinet has drawn sharp international criticism. As the UN has pointed out, Israeli interference in the aid distribution system "violates fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over basic necessities as a pressure tactic, as part of a military strategy." The European Commission spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Anouar El Anouni, stressed that "the European Union is concerned about the planned expansion of Israeli armed forces' operations in Gaza, which will cause further casualties and suffering to the Palestinian population."

Israeli authorities have stated that the new plan is intended to increase pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and to dismantle its operational capacity in the Strip. The Hostages Families Forum, however, has once again issued a sharp rebuke of the Netanyahu government, accusing it of being solely interested in occupying territory. "The government's decision makes it abundantly clear that it is choosing territory over the hostages, contrary to the will of the majority of the people," the forum said in a statement.

Analysts believe the new Israeli offensive plan is a form of threat aimed at extracting concessions in negotiations for a new ceasefire agreement favourable to Israel, also in view of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East next week.