Netanyahu's security cabinet wants 'full security takeover' of Gaza to end war

Israel's security cabinet has approved an operation to take military control of Gaza City, Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said - and agreed a full security takeover of Gaza is required to end the war.

It marks another escalation in the war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, and a step towards Mr Netanyahu's stated goal of a full military occupation.

IDF to prepare to take Gaza City - follow live updates

Asked in a Fox News interview ahead of a security cabinet meeting that ran into the night if Israel would "take control of all of Gaza", Mr Netanyahu said: "We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza."

"We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter," he continued. "We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life."

The Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement after the meeting that the security cabinet has "approved the prime minister's proposal for defeating Hamas".

It added: "The IDF will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones."

The security cabinet also adopted the five principles for concluding the war, which are:

• The disarmament of Hamas
• The return of all hostages
• The demilitarisation of Gaza
• Israeli security control of Gaza
• The establishment of an alternative civil administration that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority

An Israeli official had earlier said the security cabinet would discuss plans to conquer all or parts of the Gaza territory not yet under Israeli control.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal decision, said that whatever is approved would be implemented gradually to increase pressure on Hamas.

Israel already controls around 75% of Gaza and has largely sealed its borders.

To take full control, it would need to launch ground operations in the remaining areas that have not been destroyed, where most of Gaza's two million population have sought refuge.

Plan will 'put hostages and soldiers in danger'

The plan to take full control of Gaza has been criticised by many, including families of hostages being held by Hamas and a top Israel Defence Forces (IDF) official.

Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said Mr Netanyahu promised her that he would pursue a deal to free the hostages.

She said in a post on X: "Someone who talks about a comprehensive deal doesn't go and conquer the Strip and put hostages and soldiers in danger.

"Netanyahu and his partners are about to condemn [Matan] to death."

Israel's military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has warned against occupying Gaza, saying it would endanger the hostages and put further strain on the IDF, according to Israeli media reports.

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In an illustration of the kind of opposition Israel could face internationally, a Jordanian official aid Arabs would "only support what Palestinians agree and decide on".

"Security in Gaza must be done through legitimate Palestinian institutions," the source said.

"Arabs will not be agreeing to Netanyahu's policies nor clean his mess."

Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, former president of the Middle East Policy Council, has said "very few people" believe Mr Netanyahu's plan to occupy the whole of the Gaza territory is a "good idea".

She told Sky News: "The challenge, of course, is that President Trump has not definitively said that he does not support this idea, and (Mr Netanyahu) believes he's got at least, if not a green light, a flashing yellow light, and is inclined to take advantage of the space he has before him."

Ms Abercombie-Winstanley added: "It's hard to add to the trauma and desperation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, but this certainly will do it.

"The prime minister has talked about moving Palestinians out of the proposed combat zone in Gaza City and getting aid to them outside of that zone.

"But of course, another forced movement after multiple forced movements, expulsions from their homes, from their neighbourhoods is going to add to the trauma on top of the lack of food and assistance they're already suffering from... And of course, by planning to take over the entire Gaza Strip, they take away Hamas' reasons for protecting the hostages."

At least 42 more Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, say hospitals

It comes after at least 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings across southern Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals.

At least 13 of those people were seeking aid in an Israeli military zone where UN aid convoys are regularly overwhelmed by desperate crowds and looters.

Another two were killed on roads leading to sites run by the Israel - and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.

The GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites on Thursday.

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The war in Gaza began when Hamas killed about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - in its attack on 7 October 2023 and abducted 251 others.

They still hold approximately 50 of those hostages - with 20 believed to be alive - after most of the others were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between militants and civilians in its count.

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