Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the audience at a conference in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 27, 2025.

Ahead of an Israeli Security Cabinet meeting todecide Gaza’s future, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday thathis military intends to take control of the entire besieged Palestinian territory.

In an interview with Fox News, the prime minister was asked whether Israel plans a complete takeover of Gaza, something that his Security Cabinet would need to approve before implementing.

“We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza,” Netanyahu said. He added that Israel does not intend to permanently reoccupy the territory, but rather, eventually hand over control to an Arab state friendly to Israel.

Hamas said that Netanyahu’s remarks “represent a clear reversal of the course of [ceasefire] negotiations” in Gaza. Despite withdrawing from Gaza in 2005, Israel has continued to control the movement of people and goods, as well as the resulting taxes.

“We affirm that Gaza will remain defiant to the occupation and attempts to impose guardianship over it,” Hamas said. “Expanding the aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park, and the price will be high........

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