Axios reports:

Israel has set President Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week as a deadline for a new hostage and ceasefire deal, with a massive ground operation to commence if no deal is reached, Israeli officials say.

Why it matters: Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan Sunday night to gradually reoccupy all of Gaza and hold it indefinitely if no deal is reached by May 15. Plans for the operation call for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to flatten any buildings that remain standing and displace virtually the entire population of 2 million people to a single “humanitarian area.”

• The alternative to remaining in the humanitarian zone is for Palestinians to leave the enclave “voluntarily” for other countries “in line with President Trump’s vision for Gaza,” an Israeli official said.
• Such departures could hardly be considered voluntary, and no country has agreed thus far to accept displaced Palestinians. Israeli officials claim there are ongoing negotiations with several countries on that front.

Between the lines: Many Israeli officials see this operation as a nuclear option and would much prefer a deal in the next two weeks.

• Trump is not currently playing an active role in efforts to reach a ceasefire and has effectively given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a green light to do as he sees fit, Israeli officials say.

The big picture: The return to full-fledged war would come after Israel already cut off all supplies of food, water and medicine for civilians in Gaza after the ceasefire broke down two months ago.

• Israel’s military operations in Gaza have killed 52,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-led Gaza.
• Netanyahu has rejected any proposal that ends the war entirely, pressing Hamas instead to sign a shorter-term agreement.
• Israeli officials hope the threat of a large-scale invasion will press Hamas to accept a deal on Israel’s terms.

Split screen: Trump will travel to the Middle East starting Monday for a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

• Trump is not currently expected to visit Israel. U.S. and Israeli officials say the ongoing war in Gaza is the primary reason. “Nothing good can come out of a visit to Israel at the moment,” one U.S. official told Axios.

Between the lines: U.S. and Arab officials involved in the preparations for the trip said Gaza is not a top priority for Trump, and he’s expected to focus on bilateral issues and investments.

• “The optics around President Trump’s visit to the region in the context of the war in Gaza are very bad. He made a big splash pushing for a ceasefire before his inauguration and got it done, but three months later the situation in Gaza is worse,” an Arab official said.

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