Israeli tank leaving the Gaza Strip, with damaged buildings in the background.
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ISRAEL is preparing to “conquer” all of Gaza in a fresh offensive on the strip, officials say.

It comes as Tel Aviv is also fighting off rocket attacks by the Houthis – who are trying to enforce an aerial blockade on their sworn enemies.

Israeli tank leaving the Gaza Strip, with damaged buildings in the background.

An Israeli army tank motors along the Gaza StripCredit: Alamy
Israeli soldiers patrolling the border with the Gaza Strip.

Israeli soldiers patrol along the border with the GazaCredit: EPA

The Israeli cabinet has called up tens of thousands of soldiers as it readies itself to seize and hold the territory a brutal new attack.

The move would vastly expand Israel’s operations and likely bring fierce international opposition.

Officials said the new plan was meant to help Israel achieve its war aims of defeating Hamas and freeing hostages held in Gaza.

It also would push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, what would likely exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “This week we are issuing tens of thousands of orders to our reservists to intensify and expand our operation in Gaza.”

Israel has killed hundreds as it has unleashed a bombardment on Gaza since a ceasefire with Hamas collapsed in mid-March.

It currently controls about half of the territory and is blocking humanitarian aid, like food and water, from reaching civilians.

Israel alleges that Hamas takes and then distributes the aid as a way to strengthen its rule in the territory.

More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed by in 19 months of war, following the deadly October 7 terror attack.

The announcement comes after the Houthi terror group in Yemen hit Ben Gurion airport with a missile.

Staggering vid shows US carpet bombing Houthis in ‘Operation Rough Rider’ as Trump blitzed 800 targets in 44 days

They’ve now  threatened to launch more such strikes and warned airlines to cancel their flights to Israeli airports as they seek to impose an aerial blockade.

The missile gouged a wide crater in the ground near an airport parking lot, wounding six people and forcing airlines to suspend flights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a tough response against the Houthis, as well as its main backer Iran, over the attack.

In a video published on Telegram, Netanyahu said Israel had “acted against” the Houthis in the past and “will act in the future”.

“It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he added, without elaborating.

Soldiers near an underground rocket production site.

Israeli soldiers have had to fight in tunnels against Hamas in order to return the hostagesCredit: Israel Defense Forces

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