Israel is considering plans to launch a large -scale land attack on Gaza, which will include tens of thousands of soldiers with the aim of clearing and occupying large areas of the enclave, according to CNN citing an Israeli official.

The possible large -scale operation is one of the many scenarios considering the Israeli government as it escalates the attacks on Gaza in order to push Hamas to release more hostages without negotiating the end of the war.

Egyptian and Qatar’s efforts to revive the truce between Israel and Hamas have intensified in recent days, and one source said leaks for a large land attack are part of the Israeli strategy to exert greater pressure on Hamas at the negotiating table. Israeli officials have previously stated that Israel would stop attacks if Hamas agreed to release more hostages.

However, the Israeli army, led by the new and most aggressive leader of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, is devising plans for a large -scale business in Gaza for weeks.

“If there are no new negotiations for hostages, then the only alternative left is to reopen hostilities,” Israeli National Security Council chief Eyal Houlata told CNN. “And there are serious plans.”

While the Israeli army has carried out numerous land attacks in Gaza during the war, its forces often left within a few days or weeks after expelling Hamas fighters from the area. Without an Israeli military presence, Hamas often reappeared in these areas, forcing the Israeli forces to return.

According to one of the scenarios examined, the Israeli forces will clear Hamas from large areas of Gaza and then understand them to prevent its reconstruction, sources said. Such a decision could lead the Israeli army to long -term occupation of the area and fighting with guerrilla groups.

A large -scale attack could include five Israeli divisions, that is, about 50,000 troops, according to the same sources.

The government is escalating the pressure “to bring Hamas back to the table of negotiations under Israel’s terms,” ​​the retired General Israel Zib, who served for 35 years in the Israeli army, told CNN as head of operations at the General Staff.

The Israeli army has already begun to prepare the ground for larger landscape maneuvers, recapturing half of the Netzarim corridor, who separates the northern Gaza from the rest of the lane, and promoting troops in strategic locations.

The Israeli Council of Ministers approved on Sunday to create a service to facilitate any Palestinian in Gaza that would wish to participate in “voluntary relocation” to third countries – although no country has agreed to accept immigrants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set the central goal of the war to eliminate Hamas’ military and administrative potential in Gaza, declaring that it will achieve a “absolute victory”.

However, a large -scale and long -term Israeli military attack in Gaza could face strong reactions from Israeli citizens, as the majority calls for an agreement to release the 59 hostages still held in Gaza instead of returning to war.

Israel, since the beginning of March, has ruled out any humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian disaster in the enclave.