Israel plans to seize Gaza under new plan, officials say

Details of the plan were not formally announced, and its exact timing and implementation were not clear

Buildings destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations in the Gaza Strip (Ariel Schalit/AP)

Israel approved plans on Monday to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, a move that, if implemented, would vastly expand Israel’s operations there and likely draw fierce international opposition.

The new plan, which was approved in an early morning vote by Israeli Cabinet ministers, also calls for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Gaza’s south. That would likely amount to their forcible displacement and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.