PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN Netanyahu has said Israel “will not annex the Gaza Strip” and that it will be left in the hands of a transitional governing body, but he also said Israel intends to take complete control of the territory.
No details were provided about what that governing body would look like.
Netanyahu made the comments to Indian news channel CNN News 18 after a meeting with India’s ambassador to Israel, and ahead of a security cabinet meeting in which he will reportedly push for a full military occupation of Gaza.
According to numerous Israeli media sources, he has maintained that position in spite of mounting opposition from army leaders and warnings over the escalating humanitarian disaster.
He also told Fox News today that Israel does not want to “keep” Gaza but that his government intends to take total control of it until Hamas rule has been eliminated.
“We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it.”
“We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That’s not possible with Hamas,” he added.
However, Netanyahu has previously endorsed a proposal from Donald Trump to “clear out” the native population of the enclave and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle Easy”.
FOX: Will Israel take control of all of Gaza?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 7, 2025
NETANYAHU: We intend to
Netanyahu is expected to present the plan in a security cabinet meeting, which got underway this evening.
Thousands of people have gathered outside to protest the planned expansion of the campaign in Gaza, with former hostages among them, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Israeli media have reported that the proposal would see Israeli forces take full control of the Gaza Strip, reversing the 2005 withdrawal that ended permanent military and settler presence there.
The move comes as ceasefire talks with Hamas have stalled and humanitarian conditions in Gaza deteriorate further.
Israel has waged war on Gaza since October 2023 and killed more than 60,000 people in the process, most of them women and children.
In the past week alone, at least 80 people were killed by Israeli strikes, and eight more reportedly died of starvation.
The EU and the UN have both warned that an expansion of Israel’s military campaign would worsen what they describe as an unfolding famine in the besieged territory.
Despite growing global pressure to reach a ceasefire and widespread outrage over images of starving children, Netanyahu remains undeterred. Reports suggest he is preparing to escalate the assault even further.
Israel says it controls more than 75% of Gaza already. Netanyahu argues a full occupation is necessary to defeat Hamas and free the remaining Israeli hostages.
But Israeli critics warn that a full-scale invasion could endanger the hostages still held in Gaza.
This evening, Hamas said Netanyahu’s plans to escalate the campaign “confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda”.
Israeli opposition
At least 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with Israeli officials believing only 20 are still alive.
Their families and many former senior military leaders have warned that any full-scale offensive would likely result in their deaths.
Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent days, demanding an end to the war and a deal for the hostages’ release.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said occupying Gaza would be “a very bad idea” and could cause the hostages to “die of hunger, beatings and torture.”
International criticism has intensified. The UN, EU, and multiple governments have warned that an invasion could lead to catastrophic consequences, with senior UN officials stressing there is no military solution to the conflict.
China has called on Israel to halt “dangerous actions,” while countries like the UK have signalled they may soon recognise a Palestinian state if a ceasefire isn’t reached.
Despite this, Netanyahu’s government, which relies on far-right ministers advocating for Jewish settlements in Gaza, appears determined to press on.
Some Israeli analysts suggest the proposal may be aimed at appeasing those hardliners rather than representing a fully executable plan, especially given growing reports of friction between Netanyahu and Israel’s military leadership.
Gaza in crisis
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deteriorate.
This week, more Palestinians were shot while waiting for food. In northern Gaza, at least 20 people were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for UN aid trucks.
Another 20 were wounded under similar circumstances near Rafah, in the south.
European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera said that what we are seeing “is a concrete population being targeted, killed and condemned to starve to death.”
“A concrete population is confined, with no homes, being destroyed, no food, water or medicines, being forbidden to access, and subject to bombing and shooting even when they are trying to get humanitarian aid. Any humanity is absent, and no witnesses are allowed,” Ribera said.
Netanyahu continues to frame the war as a fight for Israel’s survival.
“We are not giving up on any of our missions,” he said Tuesday, referring to the defeat of Hamas, the return of hostages, and the goal of ensuring Gaza “never again poses a threat to Israel.”
