JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel plans to assume full military control over the Gaza Strip, even as domestic and international criticism of the nearly two-year-long war in the enclave continues to mount.
When asked by Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer if Israel intended to take over the entire coastal region, Netanyahu replied, “We intend to.” He clarified, however, that Israel does not wish to permanently occupy or govern Gaza but instead seeks to establish a security buffer.
“We don’t want to keep it. We want a security perimeter,” he said, adding that Israel hopes to transfer governance to Arab entities—though he did not specify which countries or bodies might take over, according to Reuters.
Netanyahu made the remarks ahead of a meeting with a select group of senior ministers to discuss the military’s next moves in Gaza. This security cabinet session comes days after a reportedly tense meeting with the military chief, who is said to have pushed back against further expansion of the operation.
Sources within the government said any decisions from the security cabinet would still require approval from the full cabinet, which may not convene until Sunday.
One scenario under consideration is a gradual military advance into areas of Gaza not yet under Israeli control, possibly preceded by evacuation notices to civilians giving them several weeks to leave.
This potential full takeover would effectively reverse Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, when it withdrew troops and settlers but maintained control over borders, airspace, and infrastructure. Many right-wing Israeli politicians blame that withdrawal for Hamas’s rise to power after the 2006 Palestinian elections.
It remains unclear whether Netanyahu envisions a temporary operation to dismantle Hamas and rescue Israeli hostages, or a more prolonged occupation.
In response, Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s remarks as a “blatant coup” against ongoing negotiations, accusing him of using hostages as political pawns. A Jordanian official told Reuters that Arab states would only support governance arrangements approved by Palestinians and emphasized that Gaza’s security should be managed by legitimate Palestinian institutions.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera that any force installed to govern Gaza would be treated as an “occupying” body tied to Israel.
Earlier this year, both Israel and the U.S. rejected an Egyptian-backed proposal that called for a post-war administration led by independent Palestinian technocrats.
Public sentiment in Israel appears to favor a deal that would end the war and secure the release of remaining hostages. The White House has not yet commented on Netanyahu’s latest statement. Former U.S. President Donald Trump declined on Tuesday to say whether he supported a full Israeli military takeover of Gaza.
(Inputs from Reuters)
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