Israel intends to take full control of Gaza but does not want to keep or govern it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, ahead of a security cabinet meeting on Thursday, August 7. "We intend to," Netanyahu replied, when asked in a televised Fox News interview if Israel will take control of "all of Gaza."
Asked by Fox News if Israel would control the entire 26-mile Gaza Strip "as it was 20 years ago," 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.
Fox News said the interview occurred just before Netanyahu was due to attend a security cabinet meeting on Gaza war plans.
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 outlets.