Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved a plan for the Israeli military to take control of Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed early Friday morning local time.
According to the statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will prepare to seize control of Gaza City while ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches civilians outside combat zones.
The cabinet also adopted five key principles aimed at ending the war:
- The disarmament of Hamas.
- The return of all hostages, both living and dead.
- The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
- Continued Israeli security control over the territory.
- The creation of an alternative civilian government in Gaza that is neither led by Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
The decision follows Netanyahu’s statement on Thursday that Israel intends to take control of all of Gaza but does not plan to govern it. Speaking to Fox News, the prime minister said the territory would be handed over to “Arab forces” once Hamas is removed.
“We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza, and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel,” Netanyahu explained. “We don’t want to keep Gaza… We want to have a security perimeter… and hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us, and giving Gazans a good life.”
The proposed military expansion is likely to intensify international opposition and deepen Israel’s isolation, as humanitarian agencies continue warning of famine in the territory. Close allies have urged Israel to end the war, but ceasefire talks with Hamas have collapsed in recent weeks, with both sides blaming each other.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told CBS News that Hamas is “not serious about negotiating” and accused European leaders of putting more pressure on Israel than on Hamas. “Hamas is celebrating… they’re winning the message war here,” Huckabee said.
On the possibility of annexing Gaza, Huckabee noted that it would be an Israeli decision: “It’s not our job to tell them what they should or should not do… Ultimately, it’s the decision that the Israelis and only the Israelis can make.”
