Netanyahu says he wants Israel to take control of all of Gaza
'We intend to,' Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News Channel's Bill Hemmer when asked if Israel would take over the entire coastal territory. '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 said Israel wanted to hand over the territory to Arab forces that would govern it. He did not elaborate on the governance arrangements or which Arab countries could be involved.
Netanyahu made the comments to Fox News ahead of a meeting with a small group of senior ministers to discuss plans for the military to take control of more territory in Gaza.
Israel's security cabinet approved a proposal from Netanyahu and the Israeli military will prepare to take control of Gaza City, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on X, citing a statement by the prime minister's office. Ravid also cited an Israeli official as saying that a ground offensive will be carried out in Gaza City.
Israeli officials described a previous meeting this week with the head of the military as tense, saying military chief Eyal 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 being 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 person 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. Israel has repeatedly said it aims to dismantle Hamas and free Israeli hostages.
Hamas in a statement called Netanyahu's comments '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.'
Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera the group would treat any force formed to govern Gaza as an 'occupying' force linked to Israel.
Earlier this year Israel and the United States rejected an Egyptian proposal, backed by Arab leaders, that envisaged the creation of an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza after the war.
Opinion polls show most Israelis want the war to end in a deal that would see the release of the remaining hostages.
The White House had no immediate comment. President Donald Trump has declined to say whether he supported or opposed a potential full military takeover of Gaza by Israel.
Netanyahu's government has insisted on total victory over Hamas, which ignited the war when it staged a deadly October 2023 attack on Israel from Gaza.
The U.N. has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza ' deeply alarming ' if true.
The idea, pushed especially 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.
PROTESTERS DEMAND END TO WAR
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.
Protesters held signs bearing the faces of hostages still held in Gaza and voiced deep frustration with the government's handling of the crisis.
'I'm here because I am sick and tired of this government. It's ruined our life,' said 55-year-old Noa Starkman, a Jerusalem resident who was born in a southern Israeli community close to where Hamas attacked in October 2023.
The Hostages Families Forum, which represents captives held in Gaza, urged military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to oppose widening the war. Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the military would carry out the government's decisions until all war objectives were achieved.
REMAINING HOSTAGES
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.
A senior Palestinian official said Hamas had told Arab mediators an increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza would lead to a resumption in ceasefire negotiations.
Israeli officials accuse Hamas of seizing aid to hand to its fighters and to sell to finance its operations, accusations the militant group denies.
Videos released last week of two living hostages showed them emaciated and frail, stirring international condemnation.
Recent images of starving children from Gaza have also shocked the world and fuelled international criticism of Israel over the sharply worsening conditions in enclave.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but now controls only fragmented parts, insists any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war. Israel says the group has no intention of going through with promises to give up power afterwards.
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 the enclave's residents are on the verge of famine.
'Where should we go? We have been displaced and humiliated enough,' said Aya Mohammad, 30, who, after repeated displacement, has returned with her family to their community in Gaza City.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo; Additional reporting by Steven Scheer in Jerusalem, Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman and Doina Chiacu and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Andrew Heavens, Frances Kerry, Hugh Lawson, Deepa Babington, Daniel Wallis, Lincoln Feast and Stephen Coates)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
a day 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
a day 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
a day 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.
