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Israel considers full Gaza takeover amid rising hunger victims
Mediation between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas has collapsed despite intense international pressure for a cease-fire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition on Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said, while another 79 died in the latest Israeli fire.
Netanyahu was to meet military affairs minister Israel Katz and military chief of staff Eyal Zamir to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet later this week, an Israeli official told Reuters.
Israel's Channel 12, citing an official from Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory. That would reverse a 2005 decision to pull settlers and military out of Gaza while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there.
It was unclear, however, whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation freeing Israeli hostages.
"It is still necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, release our [captives] and ensure that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel," Netanyahu told new recruits at a military base. "We are not giving up on any of these missions."
A Palestinian official said the threat of a full takeover of Gaza may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports.
"The ministry urges countries and the international community to treat these leaks with utmost seriousness and to intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether these leaks are meant to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are genuine and serious," it said.
Israel's cabinet, the most right-wing and conservative in its history, includes far-right politicians who advocate for the annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank and encourage Palestinians to leave their homeland.
Nearly two years of fighting in Gaza has strained the military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilize reservists. It has throughout the war pushed back against the idea of Israel fully occupying Gaza.
In a sign of differences between some members of Israel's ruling coalition and the military, far-right security minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X challenged military head Zamir to state he would comply with cabinet directives even if a decision was made to take all of Gaza.
Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has devastated the tiny, crowded region and has killed more than 61,000 people - mostly civilians - according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel's campaign has forced nearly all of Gaza's over 2 million people from their homes and caused what a global hunger monitor called last week an unfolding famine.
Some 188 Palestinians, including 94 children, have died from hunger since the war began in October 2023, according to Gaza authorities.