The Wall Street Journal reports that Israeli authorities plan to conduct a large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the newspaper, the leadership of Israel believes that capturing and maintaining a significant part of the Palestinian enclave will allow them to achieve a decisive victory over Hamas.

Israel is making plans for a potential major ground offensive in Gaza that would involve sending tens of thousands of troops into combat to clear and occupy large swaths of the enclave, an Israeli official and a second source familiar with the matter said.

Israel will take more territory in Gaza and fight until Hamas is wiped out if the Palestinian militant group keeps refusing to free remaining hostages, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.