Israel Prepares Major Gaza Offensive as Trump Visit Looms; Hostage Deal Window Narrowing
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel’s security cabinet has approved an expansive military operation in Gaza, dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” with officials warning that unless a hostage deal is secured by the end of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming Middle East visit, the offensive will begin with full force.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation ‘Gideon Chariots’ will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” a senior Israeli defense official said Monday, following the cabinet’s decision.
Trump’s May 13–16 visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE marks his first official foreign trip since taking office and comes amid regional efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The operation will include military control over Gaza territory, population displacement to the south, and a sharp curtailing of Hamas’s access to humanitarian aid.
“We decided on intensified action in Gaza,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message. “That was the IDF chief of staff’s recommendation—to move… toward the defeat of Hamas. He believes this will also help us rescue the hostages. I agree with him.”
Tens of thousands of reservists are being mobilized, and Israeli officials confirm there will be no withdrawal from captured areas, even in exchange for hostages.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared, “We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation.’ Once the ground operation begins, there will be no retreat… not even in exchange for hostages.”
This hardened stance drew immediate criticism from hostage families and opposition leaders. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum called the move “the Smotrich-Netanyahu Plan,” accusing the government of “choosing territory over hostages, contrary to the will of over 70% of the public.”
Protesters gathered outside the Knesset and across the country, demanding the government secure a hostage release deal before escalating the war.
Inside the Knesset, Einav Zangauker—mother of hostage Matan Zangauker—confronted lawmakers, saying: “I want to know what the h–l you’re thinking, doing this,” and questioned the morality of sending more soldiers into harm’s way without securing the captives’ freedom.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar acknowledged the offensive could endanger hostages but insisted there was “no choice left.” He said, “This war has lasted over a year and a half because we wanted to bring as many hostages home as possible. Now Hamas may realize it must return them and exile itself from Gaza.”
Meanwhile, tensions flared during the cabinet debate on humanitarian aid. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir opposed the measure, stating, “They have enough food there. We should bomb Hamas’s food storage facilities.” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir pushed back, saying, “These ideas put us at risk.” Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara affirmed Israel’s legal obligation to allow aid, prompting a clarification: “No minister has proposed starving them.”
The operation’s goal, officials say, is not just the military defeat of Hamas, but lasting territorial control. “Only uncompromising military and diplomatic pressure will defeat Hamas and free the hostages,” said Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi. “Control of the territory—not raids. Decisive victory, destruction of the enemy, and return of the hostages. With God’s help.”
Negotiators warn that time is running out. “Hamas could accept the ceasefire proposal brokered by U.S. envoy Steve Wikoff,” an Egyptian official told Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya, “but only until the end of Trump’s visit.” Beyond that, Israel’s military campaign is expected to escalate dramatically.
As Netanyahu put it, “We are not letting up on this effort and will not give up on anyone.”
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