Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Israel plans to take full control of Gaza but does not intend to govern it, as he convened his security cabinet to discuss updated plans 22 months into the war.
The cabinet meeting comes as Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce deal to pull Gaza's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and to spare hostages held by Palestinian militants.
With tensions rising, Netanyahu took to the airwaves telling US network Fox News the government intends to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, where the military has been fighting Hamas since the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attack.
Asked if Israel will take control of "all of Gaza", Netanyahu said: "We intend to."
He was expected to seek the cabinet's approval for an expanded offensive, which could see ground troops operate in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, Israeli media reported.
Netanyahu told Fox News "we don't want to keep" the Gaza Strip, which Israel occupied in 1967 but withdrew troops and settlers in 2005.
"We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it," Netanyahu said.
"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."
The reported plans to expand the war have sparked growing concern in Israel about what it means for the remaining hostages.
As the cabinet meeting kicked off, hundreds rallied near the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, calling for a deal to free the hostages.
"The only way to bring the hostages home is to halt the war and end the suffering of the hostages and all those living through this terrible conflict," said protester Sharon Kangasa-Cohen.
Hamas in a statement said that "Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression 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."
Earlier Thursday, relatives of hostages set sail from the port of Ashkelon seeking to approach the Gaza Strip where their loved ones have endured 22 months of captivity.
Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead.
Ahead of Thursday's meeting, rumours have been rife in the Israeli press about disagreements between the cabinet and Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir, who is said to oppose plans to fully reoccupy Gaza.
On Wednesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz had weighed in on social media saying the military must ultimately respect any policies adopted by the government.
In a statement released by the military Thursday, Zamir underscored his independence, vowing to "continue to express our position without fear".
"We are dealing with matters of life and death... and we do so while looking directly into the eyes of our soldiers and citizens," Zamir said.
In Gaza, meanwhile, fears grew over what an expansion of Israeli operations would entail.
"Ground operations mean more destruction and death," said Ahmad Salem, 45.
International concern has been growing over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment warned that famine was unfolding.
The World Health Organization said at least 99 people have died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip this year, with the figure likely an underestimate.
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