Israel is expected to approve a new plan today to take over Gaza aimed at completely destroying Hamas and securing hostage releases, despite domestic and international opposition and warnings of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Ahead of a cabinet meeting Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Israel intends to take control of the territory, but “we don’t want to govern it.”
“We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us,” Netanyahu told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer.
The operation could take up to five months and would involve a phased effort involving military operations and increased humanitarian support, Israeli media reported. Yet several ministers and even Israel’s military chief have warned against the plan, with one telling an Israeli broadcaster that the country could end up “knowingly entering a Vietnam model.”
The Israeli plan was met with condemnation from the EU, China, and Britain, among others, while Germany said it would pause exporting military equipment to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip.