Israel seeks control of Gaza, won't 'keep it': Netanyahu
"We intend to," Netanyahu replied, when asked in a televised Fox News interview if Israel will take control of "all of Gaza."
Fox News said the interview occurred just before Netanyahu was to attend a security cabinet meeting on Gaza war plans.
Netanyahu is expected to seek approval at the meeting for an expansion of military operations, including in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, according to Israeli media.
Asked by Fox News if Israel would control the entire 26-mile Gaza Strip "as it was 20 years ago," Netanyahu replied: "Well, we don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it."
"We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That's not possible with Hamas," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
an hour ago
- eNCA
Israel to 'take control' of Gaza City, sparking wave of criticism
Israel's military will "take control" of Gaza City under a new plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, touching off a wave of criticism Friday from both inside and outside the country. Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure a truce to pull the territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and free the hostages held by Palestinian militants. Israel's foe Hamas denounced the plan to expand the fighting as a "new war crime", while staunch Israeli ally Germany took the extraordinary step of halting military exports out of concern they could be used in Gaza. Under the newly approved plan to "defeat" Hamas, the Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones", the premier's office said Friday. Before the decision, Netanyahu had said Israel planned to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, but did not intend to govern it. "We don't want to keep it," the premier told US network Fox News on Thursday, adding Israel wanted a "security perimeter" and to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us". Israel occupied Gaza from 1967, but withdrew its troops and settlers in 2005. AFP | AHMAD GHARABLI Netanyahu's office said a majority of the security cabinet had adopted "five principles", including demilitarisation of the territory and "the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority". The new plan triggered swift criticism from across the globe, with China, Turkey, the UK and the UN's rights chief issuing statements of concern. In a major shift, meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced his country was halting military shipments to Israel, saying it was "increasingly difficult to understand" how the new plan would help achieve legitimate aims. "Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," he said. - 'March of recklessness' - Reactions in Israel were more mixed. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the cabinet's move as "a disaster that will lead to many other disasters". He warned on X that it would result in "the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers, cost Israeli taxpayers tens of billions, and lead to diplomatic bankruptcy". The main campaign group for hostages' families also slammed the plan, saying it amounted to "abandoning" the captives. "The cabinet chose last night to embark on another march of recklessness, on the backs of the hostages, the soldiers, and Israeli society as a whole," the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said. An expanded Israeli offensive could see ground troops operate in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, local media have reported. AFP | Olivia BUGAULT, Pauline PAILLASSA, Julie PEREIRA Other Israelis, meanwhile, offered their support. "As they take control of Gaza, they will eliminate Hamas completely -- maybe not completely, but at least a good percentage of them," said Chaim Klein, a 26-year-old yeshiva student. The Israeli army said last month that it controlled 75 percent of the Gaza Strip, mainly from its positions in the territory along the border. Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead. - 'Extremist agenda' - Gaza residents said they feared for the worst, as they braced for the next onslaught. "They tell us to go south, then back north, and now they want to send us south again. We are human beings, but no one hears us or sees us," Maysa al-Shanti, a 52-year-old mother of six, told AFP. Hamas on Friday said the "plans to occupy Gaza City and evacuate its residents constitutes a new war crime". It warned Israel that the operation would "cost it dearly", and that "expanding the aggression means sacrificing" the hostages. International concern has been growing over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment has warned that famine is unfolding. The World Health Organization said at least 99 people have died from malnutrition in the territory this year, with the figure likely an underestimate. AFP | Eyad BABA In late July, Israel partially eased restrictions on aid entering Gaza, but the United Nations says the amount allowed into the territory remains insufficient. Amjad Al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network in the Gaza Strip, told AFP that lengthy inspection procedures at entry points meant few trucks could come in -- "between 70 to 80 per day -- carrying only specific types of goods". The UN estimates that Gaza needs at least 600 trucks of aid per day to meet residents' basic needs. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,258 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry. The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. By David Stout And Herve Bar
eNCA
2 hours ago
- eNCA
Germany suspends arms exports to Israel for use in Gaza
Germany will halt the export of military equipment to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday, reacting to Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City. The arms export freeze marks a drastic change of course for Germany, which has long been one of Israel's staunchest international allies. Merz said it was "increasingly unclear" how the latest Israeli military plan would help achieve the aims of disarming Hamas and freeing the remaining Israeli hostages. "Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," he said in a statement. Berlin "remains deeply concerned about the suffering of the civilian population in Gaza", he added. Israel has until recently enjoyed broad support across the political spectrum in Germany, a country still seeking to atone for the World War II murder of more than six million Jews. Between the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 that started the Gaza war and May this year, Germany approved defence exports worth 485 million euros ($565 million) to Israel. The deliveries included firearms, ammunition, weapons parts, electronic equipment and armoured vehicles, the government said in June. Merz reiterated that "Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas' terror" and that "the release of the hostages and negotiations on a ceasefire are our top priorities". "The disarmament of Hamas is imperative. Hamas must not play a role in Gaza in future," he said. But he added that "the new military push agreed by the Israeli security cabinet makes it increasingly unclear how these goals are to be achieved". Germany's Central Council of Jews called Merz's decision "disappointing" and said the government should "correct course" and increase pressure on Hamas instead. - Gaza suffering 'unbearable' - Merz's decision is a dramatic step for Germany, where the chancellor's tone towards Israel has been sharpening in recent months as the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorated further. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democrats welcomed the "just decision", saying "the humanitarian suffering in Gaza is unbearable". A poll published this week by public broadcaster ARD found that 66 percent of Germans expected the government to exert greater influence over Israel to change its actions in Gaza. AFP/File | Khalil MAZRAAWI However, while often voicing concern, Germany had do far avoided major concrete steps. It refrained from following France, Britain and Canada, which have announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, saying recognition must come at the end of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Berlin has also opposed the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which had been under review by the bloc. Global alarm has been growing over the suffering in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment has warned that famine is unfolding. German air force planes have joined others with humanitarian aid airdrops over the war-battered coastal territory. Merz said that "with the planned offensive, the Israeli government bears even greater responsibility" for providing aid to Gaza and again urged "comprehensive access" for UN agencies and aid groups. He also said his government urged Israel "to refrain from taking any further steps toward an annexation of the West Bank". Last month, 71 members of Israel's 120-seat parliament, including members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, passed a motion calling on the government to annex the occupied West Bank. The German-Israeli Society, which promotes closer ties between the two countries, condemned Merz's move and pointed to a $3.5-billion deal under which Germany agreed to buy Israel's Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile shield. The group said that "if Israel were to retaliate in arms deliveries to Germany, the future of German aerial defence looks bleak".
Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Belgium summons Israeli ambassador over Gaza plans
In a statement, the ministry said Belgium wanted to 'express (its) total disapproval of this decision, but also of the continued colonization … and the desire to annex the West Bank,' adding that it will 'vigorously advocate' for a reversal of this decision. 'Following the official confirmation by the Israeli government of its intention to encircle and then occupy Gaza City and take military control of the entire Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has decided to summon the Israeli Ambassador,' it said.
