Israel has approved plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials say.
If implemented, the move would vastly expand Israel's operations in the Palestinian territory and likely bring fierce international opposition.
Israeli cabinet ministers approved the plan on Monday, hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
The new plan, which the officials said was meant to help Israel achieve its war aims of defeating Hamas and freeing hostages held in Gaza, would also push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, in what would likely exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in mid-March, Israel has unleashed fierce strikes on the territory that have killed hundreds.
It has captured swathes of territory and now controls roughly 50 per cent of Gaza.
Before the truce ended, Israel halted all humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food, fuel and water, setting off what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war.
The ban on aid has prompted widespread hunger and shortages have set off looting.
The Israeli officials said the plan included the "capturing of the strip and the holding of territories".
Plan to be implemented gradually
The plan would also seek to prevent the militant Hamas group from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group's rule in Gaza.
The plan also included powerful strikes against Hamas targets, the officials said.
The officials said Israel was in touch with several countries about and relocate its population, under what Israel has termed "voluntary emigration", yet which has sparked condemnations from Israel's allies in Europe and the Arab world.
One of the officials said the plan would be implemented gradually. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing military plans.
According to an internal memo circulated among aid groups and seen by The Associated Press, Israel told the United Nations it will use private security companies to control aid distribution in Gaza.
Privatising aid distribution
The UN, in a statement on Sunday, said it would not participate in the plan as presented to it, saying it violates its core principles.
The memo, sent to aid organisations on Sunday, detailed notes from a meeting between the Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating aid to Gaza — COGAT — and the UN.
Under COGAT's plan, all aid will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, letting approximately 60 trucks enter daily and distributing 20 kilograms of aid parcels directly to people on the day of entry.
According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in 10 people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. Source: EPA / Mohammed Saber
The fighting has displaced more than 90 per cent of Gaza's population, often multiple times, and turned Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape.
UN raises concerns
The UN said the plan would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies.
It said the plan "appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic — as part of a military strategy".
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across Gaza continued overnight, killing at least 17 people in northern Gaza, according to hospital staff.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, although about 35 are believed to be dead.
Israel's offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
