Israel plans to take full control of the Gaza Strip with the aim of destroying Hamas and eventually handing over control to friendly Arab forces, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday during a cabinet meeting discussing expanding its 22-month offensive.
Asked in an interview with Fox News whether Israel would “take control of all of Gaza,” Mr. Netanyahu said: “We intend to ensure our security, eliminate Hamas and give the population the opportunity to free themselves from Gaza.”
This decision will need to be approved by the Security Cabinet.
“We are not seeking to hold it. We want to create a security perimeter,” Netanyahu said in an interview.
“We want to hand over control to Arab forces that will effectively govern the region without threatening us and provide a decent life for the people of Gaza.”
The security cabinet has begun discussing a potential expansion of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. The move, if carried out, would come despite strong opposition from many in Israel, including the families of hostages who remain in Hamas hands.
The meeting took place on a day when local hospitals reported that at least 42 Palestinians had been killed in airstrikes and gunfire in southern Gaza.
Of the 42 killed on Thursday, at least 13 were seeking shelter in an Israeli military zone in the southern Gaza Strip, where UN aid convoys are often targeted by looters and desperate crowds.
According to Nasser Hospital, where the bodies were taken, two more died on roads leading to nearby facilities run by the Israel-backed Gaza Relief Fund, a US contractor.
Neither the Gaza Humanitarian Aid Fund nor the Israeli military, which oversees security at the group's facilities, have commented on the strikes or shelling. The military zone, known as the Morag Corridor, is closed to independent media.
The Israeli military accused Hamas of operating in crowded civilian areas.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
