Gaza latest: Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza City takeover denounced as ‘exactly what Hamas want’ after cabinet approval
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that his security cabinet had approved the Israeli prime minister’s plan to occupy Gaza City.
Soon after, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed the Gaza City takeover plan as a “disaster” and “exactly what Hamas wanted”. He also blamed far-right ministers for pushing Netanyahu into defying military advice.
Netanyahu’s office said in a social media post early on Friday that “the IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones”.
Netanyahu earlier told Fox News that he intended for Israel to occupy all of Gaza in a significant expansion of the war on the besieged Palestinian territory.
He also said he would pass responsibility for governing the enclave to Arab forces.
In response, Hamas said Netanyahu’s remarks “confirm that he seeks to get rid of his prisoners and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agendas.
The Palestinian group warned that any expansion would “not be a walk in the park, and the price will be heavy and costly for the occupation”.
