Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated Israel intends to assume complete control over the Gaza Strip. The announcement was made during an interview with Fox News on Thursday, with Netanyahu asserting the goal is to liberate both Israelis and Palestinians within Gaza from what he described as the “horrific terror” of Hamas.
While stating Israel does not seek to retain control of Gaza indefinitely, Netanyahu indicated plans to transfer responsibility to unspecified “forces” capable of governing the territory appropriately.
He further articulated a vision for a security zone surrounding Gaza, though the precise width of this zone remains undefined. The Gaza Strip itself is geographically narrow, ranging from six to fourteen kilometers in width.
Netanyahu accused Hamas of holding not only Israeli hostages, but also of effectively holding two million Palestinian civilians captive, alleging a policy of deliberately creating conditions leading to widespread hunger. He claimed Israel is actively working to prevent this outcome, despite maintaining control over the entry of humanitarian aid. Recent assessments suggest that a minimum of 500 aid trucks are needed daily to meet the needs of Gaza’s population, though only approximately 70 trucks have been allowed to enter in recent weeks due to Israeli restrictions.
A comprehensive food security analysis conducted in May projects that the entire population of Gaza will face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) by September. The analysis estimates that half a million people will be in a catastrophic situation (IPC Phase 5), characterized by extreme food shortages, starvation and mortality. The report further indicates that over 70,000 children under five and 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition throughout the territory.
