Tel Aviv, 5 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The Israeli security Cabinet has approved a plan to take over the Gaza Strip and for the army to control the territory for an unspecified amount of time, government sources said on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the armed forces would move from carrying out raids to conquering the Gaza Strip and a becoming a permanent presence there.

The plan involves moving the population from the north to the south, according to the government statement. Israel's aim is to defeat the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and secure the release of the hostages Hamas is still holding.

Hamas should also be prevented from intercepting humanitarian aid supplies, according to the statement.

Netanyahu said he continues to support US President Donald Trump's plan for a "voluntary emigration of Gaza residents," and that discussions are under way with several countries.

Trump's plan, that the United States would "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip, was met with strong international criticism.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said last month that Israeli soldiers should retain permanent control in all areas conquered in the Gaza Strip.

The army would remain in the "security zones" and act as a buffer between the enemy and the Israeli communities "in any temporary or permanent reality," Katz said.

Unlike in the past, the army would no longer evacuate areas, Katz said. If Hamas does not release the hostages, the operations would be expanded, he added.

Katz previously said the armed forces would conquer large areas in the Gaza Strip to serve as Israeli-controlled "security zones."

Hamas triggered the Gaza war by launching the unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250.

More than 52,400 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities, including some 2,300 since fighting resumed on March 18. Hamas does not distinguish between its fighters and civilians in the death toll.

Row in security Cabinet

Meanwhile a dispute arose at the nightly meeting of the Israeli security Cabinet over the resumption of blocked aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, several media reports said on Monday.

Israel has been preventing aid deliveries from reaching Gaza for more than two months, with catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza.

The security Cabinet eventually agreed in the end to distribute aid using private security companies, an approach the United Nations has condemned as violating core humanitarian principles.

The Times of Israel reported that there had been a "heated discussion" between far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir.

Ben-Gvir had said that it was "not necessary" to resume aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. The people there have enough, he claimed. "The Hamas food depots should be bombed," Ben-Gvir said. "I don't understand why someone who is fighting against us should automatically receive help." Another minister agreed with him.

But Zamir said such ideas were jeopardizing Israel. Ben-Gvir does not understand what he is talking about, he said. "There is international law to which we are bound," said Zamir. "We cannot starve the Gaza Strip to death."

At the Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Ben-Gvir had the right to express his opinion.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara meanwhile underlined that Israel is legally obliged to allow aid supplies into the Gaza Strip.

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs stated for the record that no minister intends to violate international law.

Row over aid deliveries

Israel faces growing international condemnation as people face starvation. But the government accuses Hamas of intercepting aid supplies and selling them to the civilian population for profit in order to finance its fighters and weapons. Israel also seeks to put more pressure on Hamas to release the last hostages.

The UN criticized the Israeli plan to deliver aid into Gaza under military-controlled conditions, saying the proposal appeared "designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy."

Houthis threaten to hit airport again

Meanwhile after an attack near Tel Aviv airport, the Houthi militia in Yemen threatened to further disrupt air traffic to Israel.

Yemen's Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels said they fired a ballistic missile at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on Sunday.

Houthi military spokesman Yehya Saree spoke of a "comprehensive air blockade" on Israel late on Sunday evening, saying Ben Gurion International Airport would be the main target.

He repeated the call for international airlines to "cancel all flights" to Israeli airports in order to protect their aircraft and personnel.

The Lufthansa Group, among others, cancelled its flights to and from Israel, initially until Tuesday.

Eight people suffered injuries after the airport attack, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

Iran denied responsibility for the attack.

Photo: Times of Israel