Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Aug. 7 that Israel intends to temporarily seize control of the Gaza Strip before handing governance over to Arab forces.
“We intend to,” Netanyahu said in a FOX News interview when asked whether Israel would take total control of the territory. “We don’t want to keep Gaza. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We want to hand Gaza over to Arab forces that will govern it properly.”
He said he envisions “civilian governance” in Gaza but firmly ruled out allowing Hamas or “anyone advocating [for] the destruction of Israel” to assume power.
He added, “We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas.”
His remarks came hours before Israel’s Security Cabinet was set to meet and review the proposal to occupy Gaza, according to the Jerusalem Post. If approved, the operation would reportedly expand military operations into central Gaza, including Gaza City, and is expected to take several months.
The proposal has faced criticism from top Israeli military officials, including Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
According to Hebrew media cited by The Times of Israel, Zayim warned that “occupying the Strip would put Israel in a black hole — taking responsibility for two million Palestinians, requiring a yearslong clearing operation, exposing soldiers to guerrilla warfare and, most dangerously, jeopardizing the hostages.”
Fifty hostages are still believed to be in Gaza, with 20 thought to be alive, The Times reported.
Ahead of the Aug. 7 security meeting, Einav Zanguaker, mother of hostage Matan Zanguaker, urged Israelis to protest the proposal. She claimed that continued military escalation puts hostages at risk and said Israel has reached “the point of no return” for securing a release deal, The Times reported.
In an Aug. 7 statement, Hamas responded to Netanyahu by calling his remarks “a blatant coup” against the negotiation process, according to Reuters.
The statement reportedly said: “Netanyahu’s plans to expand the aggression confirm beyond any doubt that he seeks to get rid of his captives and sacrifice them.”
