Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday approved an expanded military operation in Gaza that would include relocating the enclave’s entire population to the south, according to an Israeli official, while a minister described the plan as a move to “conquer” the territory.

An Israeli plan to seize the Gaza Strip and expand the military operation has alarmed many in the region. Palestinians are exhausted and hopeless, pummeled by 19 months of heavy bombing. Families of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza are terrified that the possibility of a ceasefire is slipping further away.