Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly informed his cabinet that the army is preparing for a possible military campaign against the blockaded Gaza Strip, in the case that the situation was not improved, according to Israeli media.

“If the reality of civil distress in Gaza is diminished, that is desirable, but that is not certain to happen, and so we are preparing militarily — that is not an empty statement,” Netanyahu said.

For the past six months, Palestinians have been protesting on the border of Gaza as part of the “Great Return March” in which 190 Palestinians have been killed, 64 of whom were killed on the day the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

 In 2014, Israel waged a devastating 51-day military onslaught on the Gaza Strip, in which more than 2,300 Palestinians were martyred and tens of thousands injured.

Archive IMEMC video: 09/02/14 Gaza City’s Devastated Al-Shuja’eyya Suburb