On August 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that the country plans to take military control of the entire Gaza Strip, despite domestic and foreign opposition to the nearly two-year conflict in the territory.
In an interview, Netanyahu said Israel wanted to build a security belt, not directly control Gaza, but hand it over to the Arab government. He did not specify which mechanism or Arab country would participate. The announcement was made right before a meeting with a group of senior ministers to discuss a plan for the army to occupy more uncontrolled areas in Gaza.
Some options considered include partial takeover, with evacuation warnings for people before the army enters. This reverses the decision to withdraw all Israeli soldiers and residents from Gaza in 2005, a move that right-wing parties said had created conditions for Hamas to take power in 2006.
Hamas warned that any forces set up to control Gaza are considered "occursive forces" related to Israel. Jordan insists it only supports the Palestinian-made option.
US President Donald Trump declined to say whether he would support a plan to occupy the entire country, while the United Nations expressed deep concern about the possibility of expanding military operations. In Jerusalem, hundreds of protests demanded a end to the conflict in exchange for the release of all hostages.
The Israeli military currently controls about 75% of the Gaza area. The majority of the nearly 2 million population has been displaced many times, and relief organizations have warned of the imminent risk of hunger.
