Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet has approved a gradual expansion of the offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

In a statement on Sunday, Israeli army chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said military has already started issuing tens of thousands of call-up orders for its reserve forces, looking to expand the Gaza campaign.

Also in a video message posted on X on Sunday, a few hours after part of a missile launched from Yemen by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia fell close to Israel’s main gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said he was convening the security cabinet to discuss the next stage of the war in Gaza.

According to the statement from the army, Zamir told troops, “We are increasing the pressure with the goal of returning our people (hostages) and defeating Hamas.”

Ekwutosblog reports that Israel resumed ground operations in Gaza in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months.

Israel’s Ynet news website reported on Monday that the security cabinet also approved a new plan for aid distribution in Gaza.

Israel is reportedly in control of around a third of Gaza’s territory and has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March.

It has defended the blockade by saying that Hamas has seized aid intended for civilians and kept it for its own fighters or sold it, charges that Hamas has denied.

Recall that it launched its campaign in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, that killed at least 1,200 people, and saw no fewer than 251 taken hostage into Gaza in the deadliest day for Israel in its history.

According to local health authorities, the campaign has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians and devastated the Gaza Strip, leaving its 2.3 million population depending on aid supplies that have been dwindling rapidly since the blockade.