JERUSALEM/CAIRO: Israel’s far-right finance minister has demanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrap his plan to seize Gaza City in favor of a tougher one, while Italy said on Sunday the plan could result in a “Vietnam” for Israel’s army. Netanyahu’s security cabinet, of which the minister, Bezalel Smotrich, is a member, approved the plan by majority on Friday to expand military operations in the shattered Palestinian enclave to try to defeat militant group Hamas.

The prime minister and his far-right colleagues have faced intense backlash for such a plan, which would be a major escalation in the 22-month offensive.

The Israeli PM says he seeks full control of Gaza, removing Hamas and then transferring the governance to another party.