Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who made the decision to occupy Gaza City, claimed that they would not allow Hamas or the Palestinian Authority to control the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu held a press conference with the participation of foreign journalists for the first time since the decision to occupy Gaza. Claiming that Hamas is located in the Mawasi region west of Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip and Khan Younis in the south, Netanyahu said he ordered the Israeli army to launch a ground attack on and occupy Gaza City and the refugee camps in the city.

Netanyahu also noted that they would again exile Palestinians who have been displaced multiple times by Israeli attacks and deportation orders, and claimed that they took the decision to occupy Gaza City to"eliminate" Hamas.

"THIS IS THE BEST WAY"

Despite the decision to occupy Gaza City, Netanyahu claimed that they were not considering a long-term occupation of the Gaza Strip, and despite the reactions from the international community, he claimed that the decision to occupy Gaza City was"the best way to quickly end" the violent attacks they have been carrying out for 22 months.

Asserting that they would not allow Hamas or the Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu claimed that they aimed to establish a"civilian administration" in the region.

Netanyahu claimed that they aim to disarm the Gaza Strip, create a"safe zone" under army control on the Gaza Strip border with Israel, and establish a civilian administration in the region without Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

Threatening that Hamas would continue its attacks, killing tens of thousands of people, if it refused to lay down its arms, Netanyahu stated that they currently occupy 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu also expressed hope that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz would reverse his decision to suspend arms exports following the planned invasion of Gaza, claiming he had been"under pressure."