The Israeli prime minister has stressed that Israel's goal is not to take Gaza, but to liberate Gaza from Hamas and allow a peaceful government to be established.

The Israeli Army prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday expressed his disappointment to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the German government's decision to impose an arms embargo on Israel in retaliation for the order to occupy Gaza City.

Instead of supporting Israel in its just war against Hamas, responsible for the most horrific attack on Jews since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding Hamas, Netanyahu's office lamented, in its first reaction to the order announced Friday.

Netanyahu has stressed that Israel's goal is not to take Gaza, but to liberate Gaza from Hamas and allow for the establishment of a peaceful government, a thesis his administration is using to justify the order approved at dawn to expand the military offensive.

Germany has traditionally been a key ally of Israel in Europe, but in recent months it had distanced itself from Netanyahu's policies until it finally decided not to authorize the export of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.

The military action approved last night by the Israeli cabinet makes the release of the hostages and consensual negotiations for a ceasefire in the enclave increasingly difficult, according to the German government.

The German Chancellor warns Israel that it will have to assume even greater responsibility towards the Palestinian population when the new offensive begins, all the more reason to allow full access to humanitarian aid, including for UN organizations and other non-governmental institutions.