Raffi Berg

BBC News, London

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel intends to take control of all of the Gaza Strip, ahead of a key meeting where ministers are now deciding whether to back such a move.

Netanyahu affirmed the intention in an interview with Fox News.

Hamas responded by warning that the plan meant Netanyahu was willing to “sacrifice” the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza to serve “his personal interests”.

The UN has warned that a complete military takeover would risk “catastrophic consequences” for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages. The UK’s ambassador to Israel has said it would be “a huge mistake”.

However US ambassador Mike Huckabee said it was up to the Israel to decide whether to annex Gaza, adding in an interview with the BBC’s US partner CBS that Palestinians “shouldn’t be forced out”.

Israeli media say Netanyahu sees taking over Gaza as the only way to destroy Hamas and free hostages still held by the group following the breakdown of ceasefire talks.

Reports, though, say the head of the military and some ministers disagree.

In its statement on Thursday evening, Hamas said Netanyahu was continuing “his approach of genocide and displacement”.

The Palestinian armed group also said the Israeli prime minister’s actions would “represent a clear reversal of the course of negotiations and clearly reveal the true motives behind his withdrawal from the final round”.

The Israeli military currently controls about three-quarters of Gaza. The vast majority of Gaza’s population has already been displaced by the war and many more would be uprooted if the army takes over remaining areas.

The security cabinet of top government ministers are meeting on Thursday evening.

Just before they were due to convene, Fox News asked Netanyahu, in a sit-down interview, “will Israel take control of all of Gaza?”

“We intend to,” Netanyahu replied, “in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza [Hamas], and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and is not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel.”

According to Israeli media, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers would need to be sent to Gaza to carry out a takeover.

Reports say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, relocating its one million residents further south. Forces would also take control of refugee camps in central Gaza and areas where hostages are thought to be held.

Reports say a second offensive would follow weeks later in parallel with a boost in humanitarian aid.

Huckabee told Fox News there would be a significant scaling up of distribution sites operated by the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The GHF has been strongly criticised by the UN and aid agencies, who have accused it of being chaotic and forcing hungry Palestinians to travel long distances in perilous conditions to try to get food.

Hundreds have been shot dead in or around the four sites run by GHF since it began operating in May. The Hamas-run health ministry and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of being responsible. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has denied targeting civilians, saying soldiers have fired warning shots to keep crowds back or in response to threats.

In a report on Thursday, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) described the violence as systemic and orchestrated. It called on the Israeli authorities to stop GHF operating and to open all border crossings to let in both commercial goods and humanitarian aid.

The war has created a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, most of which UN-backed experts say is at the point of famine in terms of food consumption. The territory is also experiencing mass deprivation as a result of heavy restrictions imposed by Israel on what is allowed in – something it says is aimed at weakening Hamas.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said July was the worst month for cases of acute malnutrition in children in Gaza, affecting nearly 12,000 under the age of five.

Netanyahu is reported to have decided in recent days on the conquest of Gaza, raising tensions with military chiefs.

In a meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday, the IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, is said to have warned that controlling Gaza could entrap troops and further endanger the hostages. He is reported to have presented an alternative plan involving encircling remaining Hamas strongholds rather than full occupation.

Israeli media say that, despite some misgivings, the security cabinet is expected to approve Netanyahu’s plan.

Top UN official Miroslav Jenča told the UN Security Council earlier this week that such a move would be against international law and was a “deeply alarming” prospect.

The families of hostages have expressed deep concern, fearing such a move could push their captives into killing them.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that taking over Gaza was “really up to Israel”.

The US has been mediating in indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas for months, but negotiations broke down two weeks ago. Trump blamed Hamas, saying they “didn’t really want to make a deal”.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages. Israel launched a massive military offensive in response, which has killed at least 61,158 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.