Israeli military approves plan for expanded offensive in Gaza, spokesperson says

Israel's military has approved plans for an expanded operation in the Gaza Strip, an IDF spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"The main framework for the IDF's operational plan in the Gaza Strip," was approved by Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir, the spokesperson said.

"The central concept for the plan for the next stages in the Gaza Strip was presented and approved, in accordance with the directive of the political echelon."

No further details about the agreed-upon plan or a timeline have been released.

However, the announcement comes days after Israel's security cabinet approved plans for the takeover of Gaza City following an all-night session.

The new operation would see the IDF move into areas where Israel believes Hamas is holding the remaining living hostages.

In a statement, Netanyahu laid out "five principles" to bring about an end to the fighting in Gaza.

"One, Hamas disarmed. Second, all hostages freed. Third, Gaza demilitarised. Fourth, Israel has overriding security control," he said.

"And five, non-Israeli, peaceful civil administration - by that I mean a civilian administration that doesn't educate its children for terror, that doesn't pay terrorists and doesn't launch terrorist attacks against Israel," Netanyahu explained.

Opposition to the plan

But the idea of increased military control of Gaza exposed a rift between the IDF and the government, with Chief of General Staff Zamir warning that the plan could endanger the lives of the hostages and further stretch the military.

Zamir has repeatedly clashed with the security cabinet, notably over the Gaza proposal.

That prompted Netanyahu to say in a post on X that if he objected to the plans, he could resign.

"We are not dealing with theory; we are dealing with matters of life and death, with the defence of the state, and we do so while looking directly into the eyes of our soldiers and the citizens of the country," Zamir said, who claimed the IDF is "now approaching the final stages" of the war against Hamas.

An escalation of military activity in Gaza has also been opposed by families of the remaining hostages and human rights groups who say more fighting will put their lives at risk.

Aid seekers killed

Meanwhile, at least 25 Palestinians seeking aid were killed by Israeli gunfire, hospital workers said on Wednesday.

Among those killed were 14 Palestinians in the Teina area, approximately 3 kilometres from a food distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to staff at Nasser hospital.

Israeli gunfire killed five other Palestinians while trying to reach another GHF distribution site in the Netzarim corridor area, according to Awda hospital and witnesses.

GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites on Wednesday.

The US and Israel support the GHF, a US contractor, as an alternative to the United Nations relief programmes, which they say allowed Hamas to siphon off aid.

The UN, which has delivered aid throughout Gaza for decades when conditions allow, denies the allegations.