Live News: Israel, Hezbollah Attacks in Lebanon Intensify as War in Gaza Continues

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a plan to force all Palestinian civilians to leave the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, in order to besiege Hamas and force the release of hostages.

It is unclear how many Palestinians remain north of the so-called Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza in two, but estimates run into the hundreds of thousands. The plan does not mention whether, when or how civilians would be allowed to return to northern Gaza. After nearly a year of war, with no part of Gaza immune to Israeli airstrikes, the Palestinians are increasingly reluctant to comply with Israeli relocation demands.

The idea comes from a group of retired Israeli generals who formally presented it to the Israeli cabinet and a powerful parliamentary committee. They say the aim is to use siege tactics to starve out Hamas fighters and force them to release 101 hostages still held in the territory.

Israeli television station Kan, an affiliate of CNN, reported on Sunday that Netanyahu said during a closed meeting with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the plan “makes a lot of sense.”

Read more about the proposed plan to expel Palestinians from northern Gaza Here.