The Hebrew channel "i24" reported that Katz approved the attack plan presented by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the senior military leadership during a joint meeting on Tuesday evening.
This operation is a continuation of Operation Gideon, launched by the Israeli occupation army on May 17, despite the acknowledgment of its failure by former Israeli politicians and military personnel.
According to the channel, the plan includes occupying Gaza City and sending call-up orders to 60,000 reserve soldiers. The Israeli army has already begun issuing conscription orders known as "Order 8" to carry out the operation.
The channel noted that the occupation army had previously announced that it had managed to control approximately 75% of the Gaza Strip during the first operation.
While Katz described the plan as aiming to "create the conditions for ending the war, releasing Israeli prisoners, disarming Hamas, and exiling its leaders," the Israeli Broadcasting Authority said the preparations also include "humanitarian" arrangements to accommodate Palestinian civilians who will be forced to flee Gaza City to the south.
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These developments come amid ongoing mediation efforts led by Egypt and Qatar, with support from the United States, to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Hamas announced on Monday its acceptance of a new proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, which includes a temporary ceasefire for 60 days, including a prisoner and detainee exchange, a redeployment of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, and increased access to humanitarian aid.
In the same context, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday that Washington is continuing to discuss the proposal with relevant parties, while Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that Hamas' response to the proposal was "almost identical" to what Israel had previously accepted.
However, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement affirming that "Israel's policy has not changed," emphasizing the demand for the release of all fifty detainees in the Gaza Strip, in accordance with the principles approved by the security cabinet.
Observers believe that Netanyahu's office statement includes an implicit rejection of the proposal, despite its similarity to a plan previously presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff and accepted by Tel Aviv. The plan stipulates the release of 10 living prisoners and 18 bodies in exchange for a 60-day truce, during which negotiations to end the war would be completed.
Earlier this month, on August 8, the cabinet approved a plan presented by Netanyahu calling for a gradual reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City. This confirms Israel's continued commitment to a decisive military option despite existing political initiatives.
