Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended a new military offensive in Gaza that's more sweeping than previously announced, declaring in the face of growing condemnation at home and abroad that Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas.”

Even as more Israelis express concern over the 22-month war, Netanyahu said on Sunday that the security Cabinet last week instructed the dismantling of Hamas strongholds not only in Gaza City but also in the “central camps” and Muwasi.

A source familiar with the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, confirmed that Israel plans it in both areas.

The camps — sheltering well over a half-million displaced people, according to the U.N. — had not been part of Israel's announcement Friday.

It was not clear why, though Netanyahu faced criticism on the weekend within his ruling coalition that targeting Gaza City was not enough. Netanyahu said there would be “safe zones," but such designated areas have been bombed in the past.

Netanyahu's office late Sunday said he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump about the plan and thanked him for his “steadfast support.”

Rejecting starvation in Gaza as well as a “global campaign of lies," Netanyahu spoke to foreign media just before an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, a platform for outrage but little action on the war.

“Our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza,” Netanyahu asserted. The goals, he said, include demilitarizing the territory, the Israeli military having “overriding security control” and a non-Israeli civilian administration in charge.

Israel wants to increase the number of aid distribution sites in Gaza, he said, but in a later briefing to local media, he asserted: “There is no hunger. There was no hunger. There was a shortage, and there was certainly no policy of starvation."

Netanyahu also said he has directed Israel’s military to “bring in more foreign journalists” — which would be a striking development, as they haven’t been allowed into Gaza beyond military embeds during the war.

He again blamed many of Gaza’s problems on the Hamas militant group, including civilian deaths, destruction and aid shortages. “Hamas still has thousands of armed terrorists," he asserted, adding that Palestinians are “begging” to be freed from them.

Hamas responded with a lengthy statement that summed up Netanyahu's remarks as “blatant lies.”

The United States defended Israel, saying it has the right to decide what’s best for its security. It called allegations of genocide in Gaza false.

The U.S. has veto power at the council and can block proposed actions there.

Other council members, and U.N. officials, expressed alarm. China called the “collective punishment” of people in Gaza unacceptable. Russia warned against a “reckless intensification of hostilities.”

At least 31 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in Gaza, hospitals and witnesses said.

Israel’s air and ground offensive has displaced most Palestinians and pushed the territory toward famine.

Two Palestinian children died of malnutrition-related causes on Saturday, bringing the toll among children to 100 since the war began.

At least 117 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since June, when the ministry started to count them.

The hunger toll is in addition to the ministry’s war toll of 61,400 Palestinians.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, doesn’t distinguish between fighters or civilians, but says around half of the dead have been women and children.

The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties.