Israel Intends To Occupy Entire Gaza Strip – Netanyahu

By Barak Ravid, AXIOS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday that the Israel Defense Forces will begin a new offensive to occupy the entire Gaza Strip in an effort to root out Hamas.

What he is saying: “We intend to control all of Gaza. We don’t want to keep Gaza. We want a security perimeter. We want to hand Gaza over to Arab forces that will govern Gaza properly,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.

Why it matters: Netanyahu’s remarks came shortly before the Israeli Security Cabinet convenes to approve the highly controversial plan to expand the war.

• President Trump has decided not to intervene and to let the Israeli government make its own decisions, U.S. officials say.

Driving the news: The new operation to occupy additional areas of central Gaza, including Gaza City, is expected to take at least several months and involve displacing around 1 million Palestinian civilians.

• The Israel Defense Forces would also be moving into areas where Israel believes hostages are being held, possibly risking their lives.
• Netanyahu is poised to escalate the war despite massive international pressure to stop the fighting and prioritize the humanitarian crisis in the enclave — and over the objections of his own top generals.

Friction point: Israel’s top general and several other senior security officials oppose the operation they are about to be asked to undertake.

• IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told Netanyahu he was “walking into a trap” during one recent meeting, according to reports in the Israeli press.
• Zamir argued the operation would endanger the hostages and could lead to Israeli military rule in Gaza with full responsibility over 2 million Palestinians.