The security cabinet agreed on Friday night to expand operations in Gaza.
Several IDF reserve brigades will be mobilized and the 8th Infantry Division will be deployed.
Israel is currently not planning a full-scale maneuver in hopes of securing another hostage deal to see the 59 captives returned home. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier in the week that it is currently believed that fewer than 24, less than half the number of hostages being held, are still alive.
Negotiating a hostage deal
A source told N12 earlier that the war would likely continue throughout 2025 and the military was short 10,000 soldiers.
The security cabinet's decision came hours after the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement denying Arab reports and Hamas's claims that Israel had reneged on the terms of a proposed agreement.
The terms, according to the Arab reports, were related to an IDF presence in Gaza over the next year.