” We Intend to, ” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied over the Question ahead of a security cabinet meeting on Thursday (August 7, 2025).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Maya Alleruzzo / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The statement comes amid the ongoing Israeli hostage situation intensifies and Israel is preparing for new military actions into Gaza.
Mr. Netanyahu is expected to seek approval at the meeting for an expansion of military operations, including in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, according to Israeli media.
While hostage families , senior Israeli military leadership and opposition have opposed the decision to expand the ongoing war with Hamas and raised the concern about more Palestinians will be killed and Israel will further become more isolated among the international community.
When asked by “Fox News” if Israel would control the entire 26-mile Gaza Strip “as it was 20 years ago,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied: “Well, we don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it.”
“We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That’s not possible with Hamas,” he added.
He did not give any specific details about possible arrangements to solve the crisis or which countries could be involved as the governing body . This might be the possible indication of what he might be envisioning for a post-war Gaza.
Speculation over a fresh offensive war with Hamas into Gaza’s territory have also exposed differences between Israel and some of it’s international allies.
The British ambassador to Israel, Simon Walter, said the complete annexation of Gaza would be a “huge mistake”, while also defending against US and Israeli allegations that a possible recognition of Palestinian statehood by the Britain was a reward for Hamas.
Also, the US envoy, Mike Huckabee, a blunt supporter of Israel, said it was upto the Israeli government to decide whether they want to fully take over the Gaza Strip or not. “It’s not our job to tell them what they should or should not do,” he told CBS News, the BBC’s news partner in the US.
Recently, French President Emanuel Macron has also announced that he will recognise Palestine as a State in upcoming UNGA summit .
Israel currently controls over 75% of land in Gaza and further more escalation could make Chaos within both the territories and create suffocation for the people of Gaza as more and more land will be captured by the Israeli military.Humanitarian efforts will be affected as food and worse health care situations will further intensify.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the reports of Gaza’s health ministry, which is currently operated by Hamas.Meanwhile, the Hamas attack on Israel which began on 7th October 2023 killed about 1,200 people , while nearly 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages by Hamas.
