”The die has been cast – we are aiming for a complete occupation of the Gaza Strip”, Netanyahu is said to have said according to information from high-ranking officials to the news site Ynet.
The security cabinet is to be convened this week, possibly as early as Tuesday, according to reports.
Israel's military has repeatedly warned that such a strategy, including extended ground operations, can worsen the situation for the Hamas-held hostages who are still alive. Additionally, there are warnings of destabilizing consequences in the region, according to the media. But Netanyahu is said to have hinted that Eyal Zamir, lieutenant general and chief of staff within the Israeli military (IDF), should resign if he does not sign off on the plans, reports The Times of Israel.
Israel's military currently controls about 75 percent of Gaza. Under the new plan, the military would take over the last quarter as well. Exactly what it would mean for the over two million Palestinians living in Gaza, as well as for aid organizations that want to operate there, is unclear.
Terror-listed Hamas, which rules Gaza and whose attack on Israel in October 2023 triggered the ongoing war, is said to have dismissed the reports of Netanyahu's Gaza plans as ”repetitive, worthless and something that does not affect our decisions”, according to The Jerusalem Post.
