Rahaf Ayyad, a 12-year-old Palestinian suffering from malnutrition, shows an old photo of herself while sitting in a school turned into a shelter in al-Rimal, in the center of Gaza City, on May 4, 2025. (Credit: Omar al-Qattaa.)
Israel's political-security cabinet has approved expanding the Gaza offensive to include a full takeover of the Strip and efforts to promote the voluntary departure of its residents, an official source said Monday.
'The plan will include, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the control of territories' in the Gaza Strip, the source said in a statement. The Israeli prime minister also stated during the meeting that he 'continued to promote the Trump plan aimed at allowing the voluntary departure of Gaza residents and that negotiations on this matter are ongoing,' according to the same source. This project had caused an international outcry.
This source also states that Israel approves 'the possibility of a humanitarian distribution' in the strip, although noting that the Israeli cabinet believes there is 'currently sufficient food' in Gaza.