Tel Aviv, 8 August 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The Israeli Security Cabinet early on Friday approved a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take military control of Gaza City and to disarm Palestinian militant organization Hamas, according to a statement by the premier's office.

The statement said that the Cabinet approved a takeover by the Israeli military of Gaza City, in the north of the territory, while providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones.

Netanyahu's office said the Cabinet approved a plan by the premier which would see the disarmament of Hamas, the return of hostages to Israel, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and "Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip" in exchange for an end to the war, which has been raging for 22 months.

The plan also requires that the territory be ruled by an "alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority."

The approval of the plan came after a Security Cabinet meeting lasting more than 10 hours and ending on Friday morning.

The plan did not specify whether Israel would be seeking to take over the entire Gaza Strip, which Netanyahu had said on Thursday was part of his plan.

On Thursday, Netanyahu told US broadcaster Fox News: "We intend to, in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel." 

"That's what we want to do," Netanyahu said in an excerpt of the interview. "We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas."

Israel is estimated to currently control around 75% of the largely destroyed territory, which is home to roughly 2 million Palestinians.

A full occupation could take the Israeli military up to six months to complete, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

Israeli TV station N12, citing a senior official, reported on Friday that the operation approved by the Security Cabinet would target only Gaza City. According to the report, residents are to be evacuated to refugee camps in central Gaza by early October. There was no immediate official confirmation of N12's report or further details.

Possible negotiation tactics in ceasefire talks

Months of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a new ceasefire and the release of more hostages have so far yielded no results.

"I understand exactly what Hamas wants. It doesn't want a deal," Netanyahu said in a video message on Sunday.

He said that recent videos released by the militant group had only strengthened his resolve to defeat Hamas and bring the hostages home.

Some media outlets have speculated that the latest announcement of expanded military operations could be a negotiating tactic aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas in ceasefire talks.

Israeli politicians have hinted at such a strategy. N12 reported that mediators Qatar and Egypt are already pressing Hamas to return to the negotiating table.

Around 50 hostages are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, of whom about 20 are believed to still be alive.

The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre carried out by Hamas and other extremists from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people dead and around 250 abducted.

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the ensuing conflict, according to figures from the Hamas-run health authorities in the Gaza Strip.

The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but are seen as credible by the United Nations and other organizations.

The UN on Thursday voiced strong opposition to an expansion of Israel's offensive. "There's the prospect of huge levels of humanitarian suffering, including potential starvations that could worsen if the conflict gets worse," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York.

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