8/8/2025–|Last update: 06:31 (Mecca time)
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at dawn today, Friday, that the mini cabinet has approved the proposal to control Gaza City as part of a broader plan to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.
The Netanyahu office added – in a statement – that the army is preparing to control Gaza City, while providing what it called humanitarian aid to civilians outside the fighting areas.
The newspaper Yisrael Hume reported before that, after 10 hours of discussions, the Minister of Hume agreed to the Netanyahu proposal to occupy the Gaza Strip.
For its part, the Israel Broadcasting Corporation stated that the approval of the Council of Ministers to occupy Gaza came despite the warnings of the Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir
In the same context, the Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli official as saying that the army would target the strongholds of the (resistance) militants in Gaza City, as the operation later expanded to central refugee camps (in the center of the Gaza Strip).
For his part, Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying that the army would impose a siege on Hamas fighters who will remain in Gaza City and at the same time will carry out a ground operation limited to the city in the first stage.
The same official said that the aim of the operation is to evacuate all civilians from Gaza City for the middle camps and other areas by October 7.
Control instead of occupying
Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the cabinet did not use an occupation word and instead used control of legal reasons related to the responsibility towards the civilian population, and quoted an Israeli official as saying that the intention is to occupy Gaza while control is only the official definition.
The newspaper added that the Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir was the most refusal of the Gaza occupation plan, and added that sharp confrontations erupted between him and the ministers during the session of the Political and Security Council.
She added that Zamir stressed at the session that there is no humanitarian solution to transport a million people, and that everything would be complicated.
She also said that the Minister of Finance in Salail Smotrich opposed the plan because it did not include a clause that prevents the cessation of the fighting, even if a deal to exchange prisoners is concluded.
Yediot Aharonot said before that that Zamir had objected to the plan and said that it might take two years and would put the soldiers to kill and the lives of the prisoners.
For its part, the Israeli Channel 12 reported that the ministers of finance and national security, Bamlil Smotrich and Etamar Bin Ghaffir, had voted against some of the provisions of the decision approved by the government, including the continued distribution of humanitarian aid.
Hours before the mini cabinet meeting, Netanyahu announced the intention of Israel completely controlling the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said in an interview with the American “Fox News” channel that he has no intention to maintain the sector and its rule, and that Israel wants to hand it over to Arab forces that cannot be threatened. “
Crowds around Gaza
Meanwhile, the American “NBC” network quoted US officials that satellite images show that Israel is mobilizing its forces with a possible land invasion of Gaza.
The network said that the photos show movements and formations of Israeli forces, indicating a major wild operation.
She added that it is not clear whether the Israelis really intend to start a new attack in Gaza or whether this step is a tactic to negotiate or pressure.
The Israeli occupation army began last May a new military operation called “Gideon’s vehicles”.
During the operation, the occupation army incurred more than 40 dead and dozens of wounded in June and July.
Former military leaders and security officials confirmed that this operation was unsuccessful.
The Palestinian resistance factions vowed to pay exorbitant prices if he fully implemented the Gaza Strip’s occupation plan.
It is noteworthy that the Israeli army controls most of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and parts of Gaza and the north.
(Tagstotranslate) News (T) Middle East (T) Arabic (T) Palestine