Cabinet approves plans to expand Gaza op, renew aid; neither move will be immediate

The security cabinet has unanimously approved the plan to expand the military offensive in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel.

That plan is expected to only be implemented after US President Donald Trump’s visit to the region next week, and until then, efforts will be made to reach an agreement with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage deal, Hebrew media reports.

Additionally, the official says, the security cabinet approved a plan to renew aid deliveries into Gaza while overhauling the mechanism in order to minimize diversion of the goods by Hamas to benefit its operatives. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was the only one who voted against the plan, which is to be implemented when the situation in Gaza necessitates it.

The plan, first reported by The Times of Israel on Friday, would entail the IDF transitioning away from wholesale distribution and warehousing of aid and instead have international organizations and private security contractors hand out boxes of food to individual Gazan families.

According to Israeli and Arab officials familiar with the matter, the IDF would not be directly involved in the distribution of aid, but troops would be tasked with providing an outer layer of security for the private contractors and international organizations handing out the assistance. Israel believes this method will make it harder for Hamas to divert aid to its fighters, the officials said.

Jacob Magid and Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.