Israeli media reported early Friday that the Israeli cabinet has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the approval came after a ten-hour cabinet meeting. The U.S. news site Axios also confirmed the endorsement of the full-scale invasion plan.
An Israeli official told Axios that the operation currently being prepared by the Israeli army will initially focus on Gaza City. The plan aims to evacuate all civilians from Gaza City to central refugee camps and other areas by 7 October, while imposing a military siege on Hamas fighters who remain in the city. Simultaneously, Israeli forces would launch a ground operation.
Netanyahu’s Proposal for Post-War Gaza
Netanyahu has previously stated that his government intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip before—according to his claim—handing it over to a “civilian administration” led by Arab forces that would not threaten “Israel’s security.” The proposal has been widely interpreted as an attempt to impose an alternative regional trusteeship over the territory after removing Hamas.
In an interview with the U.S. network Fox News, Netanyahu said:
“We want to control Gaza to ensure our security, then hand it over to Arab forces that pose no threat. We do not seek to occupy the Strip forever, but want there to be a civilian authority not led by Hamas or any party seeking to destroy Israel.”
He did not clarify which entities would lead this proposed “civilian administration.” Netanyahu also claimed in the interview that U.S. President Donald Trump is providing full support for Israel to “end the war as quickly as possible,” adding that “a large part of the protests against me in Israel are funded from abroad.”
Military Opposition to the Plan
Netanyahu’s remarks faced clear rejection from within Israel’s military establishment. The Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Herzi Halevi’s successor, Eyal Zamir, warned of the dangers of attempting a full occupation of Gaza, describing it as a “strategic trap.”
Zamir stated on Wednesday that implementing such a plan “would exhaust the army for many years and put the lives of Israeli captives in the Strip at risk.” He stressed that the better option would be to “militarily encircle the Strip and pressure Hamas to release the captives” rather than re-invading it on the ground.
Hamas: This Is a Clear Betrayal of Negotiations
In response, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said that Netanyahu’s intention to occupy Gaza, then hand it to Arab forces that pose no threat to Israel, represents an explicit betrayal of the negotiation process and exposes the real motives behind Israel’s withdrawal from the latest round of talks—despite nearing a final agreement.
Hamas accused Netanyahu of seeking to continue a policy of genocide and forced displacement by committing further crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The movement said the expansion of aggression reveals Netanyahu’s desire to rid himself of Israeli captives, sacrificing them to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda.
Hamas stressed that Gaza will remain resistant to occupation and any attempts to impose external control. It warned that expanding the assault will not be an easy venture, but will come at a heavy and costly price for the occupation and its army.
