Israel security cabinet approves plan to take control of Gaza City

Israel’s political-security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City early on Friday, Reuters reports.

“The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.

Gaza City, in the north of the strip, is the largest city in this Palestinian enclave.

Two government sources said any resolution by the security cabinet would need to be approved by the full cabinet, which may not meet until Sunday.

Axios reporter Barak Ravid, citing an Israeli official, said on X the plan involved evacuating Palestinian civilians from Gaza City and launching a ground offensive there.

Netanyahu on Thursday told Fox News Channel’s Bill Hemmer in an interview “we intend to” when asked if Israel would take over the entire coastal territory.

“We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body.”

There are 50 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, of whom Israeli officials believe 20 are alive.