August 8, 2025 | 09:21 pm
The Israeli Security Cabinet has officially approved a plan to take over the entire Gaza City, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As reported by Arab News, the decision, made early Friday morning, August 8, 2025, marks a further escalation in the Israeli genocide that has been ongoing for 22 months in retaliation for Hamas' attack on October 7.
The Israeli genocide has resulted in the deaths of over 61,100 Palestinian citizens, a 40% increase from previous estimates, according to The Lancet, and the destruction of most of the Gaza Strip. Israel's total blockade of humanitarian aid and obstruction of work by the United Nations and other international organizations has pushed the region, home to approximately 2 million Palestinians, toward starvation.
Prior to the Security Cabinet meeting, which began Thursday and extended into the night, Netanyahu claimed that Israel plans to regain control of the entire Gaza Strip and eventually hand it over to friendly Arab nations that oppose Hamas.
The announced plan does not stop there, which may reflect concerns from senior Israeli generals who have reportedly warned that this move would endanger around 20 remaining hostages held by Hamas and further burden the Israeli military after nearly two years of regional war.
Many families of the hostages also oppose the plan, fearing that further escalation could destroy their loved ones. Israel has repeatedly bombed Gaza City and launched various attacks there, only to withdraw and allow militants to regroup.
In a statement reported by Al Arabiya, Hamas said, "Netanyahu’s plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda."
Currently, Gaza City remains one of the few areas in Gaza not designated as an Israeli buffer zone or evacuated.
A large-scale ground operation could force tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens to flee and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the region.
It's unclear how many people remain in the city, which was the largest before the genocide. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians evacuated from Gaza City following early evacuation orders, but many returned during a ceasefire earlier this year.
Israel Faces Growing International Isolation
An expanded military operation in Gaza would endanger the lives of many Palestinian citizens and the approximately 20 remaining Israeli hostages, while increasingly isolating Israel internationally. Israel already controls about three-quarters of the devastated region.
Families of the hostages held in Gaza fear that escalation could endanger their loved ones, and some protested outside the Security Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. Hundreds of former high-ranking Israeli security officials also oppose the plan, warning of issues that would provide little additional military benefit.
An Israeli official previously stated that the Security Cabinet would discuss a plan to conquer all or part of Gaza not under Israeli control. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity pending official decisions, said that whatever is agreed upon would be implemented gradually to increase pressure on Hamas.
Palestinian citizens are bracing for further suffering. "There is nothing left to occupy," said Maysaa Al-Heila, who lives in a refugee camp. "There is no Gaza left."
At least 42 Palestinian citizens died in Israeli airstrikes and shootings in southern Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals.
Netanyahu Claims Control Will Be Temporary
When asked in an interview with Fox News ahead of the Security Cabinet meeting whether Israel would "take control of all of Gaza," Netanyahu responded, "We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza."
He added, "We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life."
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