Israel to 'take control' of Gaza City after approving new war plan

Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce to pull the territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and free the hostages held by Palestinian militants.

Under the plan to "defeat" Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones", the premier's office said.

Before the decision, Netanyahu said Israel planned to take full control of Gaza but did not intend to govern it.

He told US network Fox News on Thursday that the military would seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, noting that Israel did not want "to keep" the territory, which it occupied in 1967 but withdrew troops and settlers from in 2005.

Netanyahu said Israel wanted a "security perimeter" and to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us".

"That's not possible with Hamas," he added.

His office on Friday said a majority of the security cabinet had adopted "five principles", including demilitarisation of the territory and "the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".

The plan drew criticism from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said it was "wrong" and "will only bring more bloodshed".

"This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages," said Starmer, who has threatened to recognise a Palestinian state.
'March of recklessness'
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk similarly said that "the Israeli Government's plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted".

The main campaign group for hostages' families also denounced the plan, saying it amounted to "abandoning the hostages".

"The cabinet chose last night to embark on another march of recklessness, on the backs of the hostages, the soldiers, and Israeli society as a whole," the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said.

The Israeli army said last month that it controlled 75 percent of the Gaza Strip, mainly from its positions in the territory along the border.

An expanded Israeli offensive in Gaza could see ground troops operate in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, Israeli media have reported.

Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the cabinet's move on Friday, calling it "a disaster that will lead to many other disasters".

He said on X that the plan would result in "the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers, cost Israeli taxpayers tens of billions, and lead to diplomatic bankruptcy".
'Extremist agenda'
Gaza residents said they feared for the worst, as they braced for the next onslaught.

"They tell us to go south, then back north, and now they want to send us south again. We are human beings, but no one hears us or sees us," Maysa al-Shanti, a 52-year-old mother of six, told AFP.

Following Netanyahu's remarks on Fox, Hamas lambasted the prime minister.

"Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda," the group said in a statement.

International concern has been growing over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment has warned that famine is unfolding.

The World Health Organization said at least 99 people have died from malnutrition in the territory this year, with the figure likely an underestimate.

In late July, Israel partially eased restrictions on aid entering Gaza, but the United Nations says the amount allowed into the territory remains insufficient.

Amjad Al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network in the Gaza Strip, told AFP that lengthy inspection procedures at entry points meant few trucks could come in -- "between 70 to 80 per day -- carrying only specific types of goods".

The UN estimates that Gaza needs at least 600 trucks of aid per day to meet residents' basic needs.

Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,258 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry.

The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.