Israel’s security cabinet has approved Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan to occupy Gaza City, signaling a major escalation in the nearly two-year war. As critics intensify at home and abroad, questions mount about civilian displacement, regional stability, and Netanyahu’s endgame for the embattled territory.
Israel’s political-security cabinet approved a controversial plan early Friday to take control of Gaza City, following a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel intends to assert military control over the entire coastal strip. The move, seen by many as a turning point in the prolonged Gaza conflict, has sparked fresh waves of domestic and international concern.
“The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Netanyahu’s office stated, referencing the Israeli Defence Forces and the growing pressure on them to escalate military operations in the northern part of Gaza.
Gaza City is the largest urban center in the enclave and a strategic stronghold. According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing an unnamed Israeli official, the plan includes evacuating civilians from Gaza City and launching a ground offensive.
In an interview with Fox News Channel’s Bill Hemmer, Netanyahu confirmed Israel’s intent to take over the entire strip when asked directly. “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it,” he said. He suggested that Arab forces would eventually take over governance but offered no details on which countries might participate or what governance structure would be imposed.
The comments came ahead of a smaller meeting with senior ministers to discuss further territorial control in Gaza. Israeli sources described a prior session with military chief Eyal Zamir as tense, with Zamir reportedly resisting further military expansion.
Netanyahu’s office later emphasized that most cabinet members believed alternative proposals would fail to achieve the objectives of defeating Hamas and rescuing hostages. Two government sources noted that any decision by the security cabinet would still require full cabinet approval, which may not happen until Sunday.
Among the options discussed was a phased occupation of parts of Gaza not currently under Israeli control. The plan may involve issuing evacuation warnings to Palestinian civilians in select areas, giving them several weeks to relocate before military action begins.
If implemented, the move would reverse Israel’s 2005 unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, which removed settlers and soldiers while maintaining control over borders, airspace, and utilities. Right-wing parties have long blamed that withdrawal for Hamas’s rise to power in the 2006 elections.
It remains unclear whether Netanyahu envisions a prolonged or temporary occupation. Israel continues to assert its goal of dismantling Hamas and securing the release of Israeli hostages.
Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s comments as a “blatant coup” against the negotiation process. In a statement, the group accused him of seeking to “sacrifice the captives” and prolong the war for political gain.
A Jordanian official source told Reuters that Arab countries would only support governance structures agreed upon by the Palestinian people, adding that post-war security should fall under legitimate Palestinian institutions. Hamas official Osama Hamdan warned that any force formed to govern Gaza would be viewed as an Israeli-aligned occupation.
Earlier this year, Israel and the United States rejected an Egyptian-backed plan supported by Arab leaders to install a committee of independent Palestinian technocrats to govern Gaza after the war.
Israeli public opinion appears increasingly supportive of a hostage-release deal to end the war. However, Netanyahu’s coalition, particularly its far-right members, continues to push for total military victory and territorial control.
The White House has yet to issue a statement. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has also declined to say whether he supports Israel’s potential full-scale military takeover.
Netanyahu’s government has maintained that total victory over Hamas is essential after the group’s deadly October 2023 attack that sparked the current war. The United Nations has called reports of an expanded military campaign “deeply alarming” if confirmed.
Domestically, the notion of expanding the Israeli military’s footprint in Gaza has caused unease, even within Israel. Nonetheless, Netanyahu’s approval of the Gaza City occupation plan marks a significant step toward further escalation, with unknown consequences for the region and its people.
