Israel’s security cabinet voted to intensify military operations in Gaza and call up of tens of thousands of extra reservists, while also deciding on a means of distributing aid in the Palestinian territory.

The vote in the early hours of Monday followed a long discussion and was unanimous regarding the expansion of armed activities in Gaza, according to an Israeli official with knowledge of the matter.

All members, except far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, also agreed that non-Israeli private companies should handle aid.

Still, Israel’s block on such supplies will only be lifted after the new military operations begin and more Gazan civilians have been moved to the area of Rafah in the south, according to an Israeli security official. 

Israel says moving civilians there will get them out of fighting zones to the north and ensure aid is given to them instead of Hamas fighters.

Israel implemented the aid ban in early March, saying it was necessary to force Hamas to surrender and release the hostages it still holds. The United Nations condemned the move and said it would worsen the shortages of food, water and medicine Palestinians are facing. Israel’s said there is sufficient aid for at least another two weeks.

The cabinet decision comes a week before US President Donald Trump visits the Gulf, his first scheduled foreign trip since returning to power in January. 

Trump — who will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 — in late April pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get more food and medicine into Gaza. 

On Monday, Trump said the lack of aid was due to Hamas intercepting supplies rather than Israel’s blockade.

“People are starving, and we’re going to help them get some food,” he said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. “Hamas is making it impossible because they’re taking everything that’s brought in.”

Israel’s planned military maneuvers will require the call up of “tens of thousands of reserve soldiers,” Eyal Zamir, the head of the Israeli military, said in Sunday. That could take up to two weeks, so fighting isn’t likely to scale up significantly until after Trump’s trip.

That timeline gives Israel an opportunity to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire involving a hostage-prisoner swap before the end of Trump’s travels, said the Israeli security official. If there’s no deal by then, the military plan will go ahead, the official said.

From last year: US Warns Israel of Gaza Power Vacuum and Wants Post-War Plan

The ground operations will likely involve Israel taking control of additional territory beyond the roughly one-third of Gaza it already controls, according to Israeli officials. Israel recently changed strategy and is now keeping troops in areas cleared of militants. Previously, it pulled troops back, which often led to Hamas regrouping.

Since Israel ended a ceasefire in mid-March, it’s repeatedly threatened to intensify operations until Hamas agrees to lay down arms and release the remaining 59 hostages it holds, only around 24 of who Israeli intelligence thinks are alive.

Though Trump isn’t scheduled to travel to Israel, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit the Jewish state early next week and meet Netanyahu, Axios reported on Sunday.

Hegseth’s visit and Trump’s comments on Gaza could signal a renewed US focus on the Mediterranean territory after several weeks in which the White House’s attention has been focused on tariff negotiations, nuclear talks with Iran and ending Russia’s war on Ukraine.

There’s no clarity on whether Trump will push for a new truce in Gaza. But such a move would be in line with his declared goal of stabilizing the Middle East. The president took credit for the ceasefire that ran from mid-January to March. Qatar, where Trump will fly to after Saudi Arabia, is a key mediator between Hamas and Israel.

Still, the gaps between Israel and Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries — remain large.

Ceasefire talks have stalled for weeks, with Hamas refusing to discuss further releases of captives unless Israel agrees to end the war and pull its forces out of Gaza.

Hamas triggered the conflict when it invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage. More than 51,000 people have been killed in Gaza following the start of Israel’s offensive, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.

Heavier fighting in Gaza will come as at least two other fronts flare up for Israel.

On Sunday, a Houthi missile hit an area close to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, prompting some international airlines to halt flights for at least a few days.

The Israeli military said it failed to take down the missile due to a “technical issue” with an interceptor launched by air defense systems. 

In retaliation, Israel Defense Forces’ jets struck targets including infrastructure at Yemen’s Hodeida Port used to transfer weapons from Iran and a concrete plant in Bajil, to the east of the port, it said on X.

Netanyahu’s government over the weekend also launched a series of attacks in Syria. Israel said it was a warning to new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa following violent clashes between the Druze minority group and Syrian government forces that left at least 70 people dead.

The attacks were an extension of a wider offensive in Syria since the overthrow of long-time President Bashar Al-Assad in December. That’s part of a shift in Israeli defense policy to one of more aggression beyond the country’s borders.

With assistance from Jordan Fabian and Fadwa Hodali.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.