After a fragile ceasefire collapsed in mid-March, Israel renewed its bombardment of Gaza, with troops reinforcing kilometre-deep \u201cbuffer zones\u201d along the perimeter of Gaza and expanding their hold<\/a> over much of the north and south of the territory.<\/p>\n In all, more than 70% of Gaza is under Israeli control or covered by orders issued by Israel telling Palestinian civilians to evacuate specific neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n On Sunday, the army chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said the military was calling up \u201ctens of thousands\u201d of reservists to allow conscripted regular troops to be deployed to Gaza for the new offensive.<\/p>\n Zamir has resisted calls by some Israeli ministers for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to take on the job of distributing aid in Gaza, which has been under a tight blockade by Israel for more than two months. Much of the 2.3 million population can no longer find enough to eat and the humanitarian system is close to collapse, aid officials in the territory have said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shuruq Ayyad consoles her 12-year-old daughter Rahaf, who is suffering from malnutrition, at a shelter in central Gaza City on Sunday. Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Israeli officials told local media that ministers believed there was \u201ccurrently enough food\u201d in the territory, but that they approved \u201cthe possibility of a humanitarian distribution, if necessary, to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n Israel says the blockade and intensified bombardments since mid-March are to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages held in Gaza. Militants in the territory still hold 58 hostages seized in Hamas\u2019s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 52,535 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry there.<\/p>\n The officials also said Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel\u2019s prime minister, \u201ccontinues to promote\u201d a proposal made in January by the US president, Donald Trump, to displace the millions of Palestinians living in Gaza to neighbouring countries such as Jordan or Egypt, to allow its reconstruction.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s scheduled visit later this month to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE may provide an additional incentive to the Israeli government to conclude a new ceasefire deal and allow aid into Gaza. Trump, who recently said he wanted Netanyahu to be \u201cgood to Gaza\u201d, is likely to come under pressure from his hosts to push Israel to make concessions to end the conflict.<\/p>\n Israeli military officials say that seizing territory provides Israel with additional leverage in its negotiations with Hamas and some observers suggest that the public announcement of the new offensive and plans for longer-term presence in Gaza are designed to win concessions in negotiations over a new ceasefire deal.<\/p>\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1746466749_109_6000.jpg\")
Israeli attacks on southern Gaza kill at least 40 people \u2013 video<\/p>\n