Temporary inspection planned
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has publicly confirmed that he aims to fully take over the Gaza Strip. However, he told the US broadcaster Fox News that he does not intend to hold the territory permanently.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel wants to bring the entire Gaza Strip under Israeli control."We intend to do so," he told the US broadcaster Fox News in response to a question on this. Israel does not want to permanently occupy the territory, but rather liberate it from the terrorist militia Hamas and then hand it over to"Arab forces" that would "govern it properly." These forces would have to be forces that do not, like Hamas, call for the destruction of Israel.
"We don't want to keep it," Netanyahu said, referring to the coastal strip."We want to have a security border. We don't want to govern it."
Security Cabinet advises
According to Fox News, the interview was conducted shortly before a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet. According to media reports, the cabinet convened to discuss the next steps in the Gaza Strip. The plan is said to involve first capturing the city of Gaza in the north of the coastal region. Control of the entire area could take around six months, according to estimates.
Hamas calls Netanyahu's plans a"coup." His statement shows that he is willing to sacrifice the Israeli hostages for his personal interests, according to the radical Islamic militia's statement.
Evacuation call for two neighborhoods in Gaza
While the Security Cabinet was still in session, the Israeli army issued an evacuation order for two neighborhoods in Gaza City. A military spokesperson called in Arabic for residents of the old city neighborhoods of Daraj and Tuffah to immediately head south to the humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi.
The military spokesperson's X-post stated that the military was conducting operations in all areas where"terrorist activities" were taking place and from which rockets were being fired into Israeli territory. The air force had previously intercepted a missile fired from the northern part of the coastal strip. A rocket alert was issued around the border town of Nir Am.
Protests in Israel against escalation of fighting
Following Netanyahu's announcement, protests against the planned escalation of hostilities erupted in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other Israeli cities. In Jerusalem, demonstrators gathered in front of the prime minister's official residence. They demanded an agreement to release the hostages still being held.
Numerous people also gathered in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. Demonstrators lit a large bonfire in front of the headquarters of Netanyahu's Likud party. They also demanded an agreement to end the war.
Warnings from the army and the opposition
Israel's military leadership and the opposition recently warned against a complete conquest of the Gaza Strip. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it a"very bad idea." Israel would pay a high price for escalating the fighting, he said. He referred both to the number of casualties a military conquest of further territories would likely entail and to the costs of occupation.
According to radio reports, Army Chief Ejal Zamir warned in a preliminary meeting with Netanyahu of a"trap" and a deadly danger for the hostages and soldiers. According to Israeli estimates, 20 living hostages are currently held by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas.
The United Nations (UN) also described plans for a complete takeover as"deeply alarming" on Tuesday."International law is clear in this regard: the Gaza Strip is and must remain an integral part of the future Palestinian state," said UN Deputy Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca. The takeover of the entire Gaza Strip by Israel could have catastrophic consequences and further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages.
Israel's army already controls around 75 percent of the coastal area, which has been largely devastated by the war. From a military perspective, it would not be difficult for the armed forces to capture the rest of the Gaza Strip, Israeli security analysts told the US newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
