Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military to 'take control' of Gaza City, his office said in a statement Friday.
Under the plan to 'defeat' Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army 'will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones', it said.
Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce to pull the Palestinian territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and to spare hostages held by Palestinian militants.
As he convened his security cabinet on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel planned to take full control of Gaza but did not intend to govern it.
Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu told US network Fox News that the government intended to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, where the military has been fighting Hamas since the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
