Netanyahu vows Israel will seize entire Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel will proceed with plans to seize control of the entire Gaza Strip, despite international opposition, while stressing that the territory will later be transferred to Arab governance.

In an interview with Fox News on August 7, Netanyahu said, “We intend to [take over all of Gaza] assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel.”

He suggested that any eventual administration would likely come from a nation that is part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, the Trump-brokered agreement establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

Netanyahu noted that President Donald Trump had not explicitly authorised Israel’s move to take over the enclave, but said such approval was unnecessary. “He understands it’s Israel who’s doing the fighting — it’s not American soldiers,” he remarked. “He just says, ‘I know Israel will do what it has to do.’”

According to Israeli officials, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) now hold around 75% of Gaza, with the coastal city of Deir El-Balah as the last significant area yet to face major operations since the conflict began in October 2023. Intelligence assessments indicate that about 20 hostages are likely being held in the city, where roughly two million Gazans have taken refuge.

The push for full control intensified after Hamas released disturbing footage of two emaciated hostages, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski. David was filmed digging what Hamas claimed was his own grave, while Braslavski pleaded for food and water. Former senior FBI counterterrorism official Christopher O’Leary said the footage “showed off the brutality of Hamas to the world and gave Netanyahu the justification he needed to launch a full occupation of Gaza.”

Israeli forces have previously avoided certain operations to reduce the risk to hostages, as Hamas has threatened to execute captives if troops approached. However, senior officials now believe Hamas has no intention of releasing the remaining prisoners, leaving military action as the only option.

Some analysts warn that occupying all of Gaza could overextend Israel’s military. “We’ve already seen soldiers suffer from fatigue, death, PTSD, and suicide through the course of the war,” said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. She also pointed to Israel’s simultaneous engagements in Syria, Lebanon, against Yemen’s Houthis and tensions with Iran.

Experts also caution that prolonged occupation could fuel new waves of militancy. O’Leary warned, “If occupation becomes the norm, in a place with widespread destruction and hunger, we’ll see insurgents rise up and strike back.” Yacoubian added, “This could birth groups more radical than Hamas… This is a recipe for Israel to become embroiled in a forever war in Gaza.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev