Israel’s security cabinet approved Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for a military incursion into Gaza after the prime minister pledged to take over the entire Palestinian territory.
‘The IDF will prepare for the takeover of Gaza City while ensuring the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,’ the prime minister’s office said.
The office added that the proposal was to ‘defeat Hamas’ and humanitarian aid would be provided, Axios first reported.
Netanyahu’s office told the Times of Israel that the majority of cabinet members supported five principles, including the disarmament of Hamas, the return of all 50 remaining hostages, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli Security control over the Gaza Strip, and an alternative civilian government that isn’t Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
When Netanyahu was previously asked if the IDF planned on taking control of the entirety of the Gaza Strip in a Fox News interview, he responded, ‘We intend to.’
‘We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body,’ he added.
‘We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly, without threatening us, and [to give] Gazans a good life.’
Netanyahu said that the goal of an enhanced military occupation is to ‘liberate ourselves and the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas’.
Israel’s security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s (pictured) plan for a military incursion on Friday
Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News that Israel intends to take control of the entire Gaza Strip
The prime minister added that Israel doesn’t want to govern the Gaza Strip and plans on handing it over to Arab forces
Military chief Eyal Zamir had voiced opposition to reoccupying Gaza. A source in the Prime Minister’s Office told The Jerusalem Post that Zamir was passed a message that read: ‘If this does not suit you, then you should resign.’
Israeli officials described a meeting this week with the head of the military as tense, saying Zamir had pushed back on expanding Israel’s campaign.
Two government sources said any resolution by the security cabinet would need to be approved by the full cabinet, which may not meet until Sunday.
Among the scenarios considered ahead of the security meeting was a phased takeover of areas in Gaza not yet under military control, one of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Evacuation warnings could be issued to Palestinians in specific areas of Gaza, potentially giving them several weeks before the military moves in, the source added.
Total control of the territory would reverse a 2005 decision by Israel by which it withdrew Israeli citizens and soldiers from Gaza, while retaining control over its borders, airspace, and utilities.
Right-wing parties blame that withdrawal decision for the militant Palestinian group Hamas gaining power there in a 2006 election.
It was unclear whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged takeover or a short-term operation.
It remains unclear whether Israel is planning a long-term takeover of the Gaza Strip (Pictured: Palestinians in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip)
The United Nations said that further occupation in Gaza is ‘deeply alarming’ (Pictured: Smoke and flames rising from an apartment complex hit by an Israeli strike)
Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu’s comments were ‘a blatant coup’ against the negotiation process.
‘Netanyahu’s plans to expand the aggression confirm beyond any doubt that he seeks to get rid of his captives and sacrifice them,’ the statement said.
Arab countries would ‘only support what Palestinians agree and decide on,’ a Jordanian official source told Reuters, adding that security in Gaza should be handled through ‘legitimate Palestinian institutions.’
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Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera the group would treat any force formed to govern Gaza as an ‘occupying’ force linked to Israel.
The White House had no immediate comment. President Donald Trump has declined to say whether he supported or opposed a potential complete military takeover of Gaza by Israel.
The U.N. has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza ‘deeply alarming’ if true.
The idea, pushed by far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition, of Israeli forces moving into areas they do not already hold in the enclave has also generated alarm in Israel.
Outside the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, hundreds of demonstrators protested against an expanded war, demanding an immediate end to the military campaign in return for the release of all the hostages.
The news of a full takeover of Gaza City comes as graphic images of starving Palestinians have resulted in worldwide calls to end the war (Pictured: Israeli activists protesting the war)
There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom Israeli officials believe 20 are alive. Most of those freed so far emerged as a result of diplomatic negotiations.
Talks toward a ceasefire that could have seen more hostages released collapsed in July.
Recent images of starving children from Gaza have also shocked the world and fueled international criticism of Israel over the sharply worsening conditions in the enclave.
The Israeli military says it controls about 75% of Gaza. Most of Gaza’s population of about 2 million has been displaced multiple times over the past 22 months, and aid groups are warning that residents are on the verge of famine.
It´s unclear how many people reside in the city, which was Gaza´s largest before the war.
Hundreds of thousands fled Gaza City under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the war, but many returned during a ceasefire at the start of this year.
Expanding military operations in Gaza would put the lives of countless Palestinians and the roughly 20 remaining Israeli hostages at risk while further isolating Israel intentionally.