Israel’s security cabinet has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to take control of Gaza City. As per reports, Prime Minister’s Office confirming the decision on Friday.

According to the statement, “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will prepare for the takeover of Gaza City while ensuring the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones."

The office also noted, “An overwhelming majority of cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented would neither achieve Hamas’s defeat nor bring back the hostages." More details of the plan have not yet been revealed.

Netanyahu Denies Long-Term Occupation

A day earlier, Netanyahu said Israel does not plan to annex or permanently occupy Gaza. He stressed that the main goal is to destroy Hamas and later hand over the strip to a temporary government.

Speaking to journalists, the Prime Minister said Israel will secure Gaza after the war ends. He claimed over two million tonnes of food had been sent to Gaza, but supplies were “interdicted.”

Goal to Remove Hamas and Transfer Power

Netanyahu explained, “We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza, and to pass it civilian governance."

He added, “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter, but we don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body."

The Prime Minister said a “detailed plan” will be created for a post-Hamas Gaza. The Palestinian Authority will have no role in this setup. “We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly, without threatening us, and giving the Gazans a good life,” he added.

War and International Criticism

Netanyahu’s remarks come amid rising global criticism over Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. According to reports, about 60,000 people have died in Israeli military strikes over the last 22 months.

The conflict began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a large-scale offensive to eliminate Hamas.