The timing of another major ground operation remains unclear since it will likely hinge on mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier outlined more sweeping plans in an interview with Fox News, saying Israel planned to take control of all of Gaza. Israel already controls around three-quarters of the territory.
Tensions could rise further if Netanyahu follows through on the more sweeping plans to take control of the entire territory.
Israel's current plan, announced after the Security Cabinet met through Thursday night, stopped short of that, and may be aimed in part at pressuring Hamas to accept a ceasefire on Israel's terms.
It may also reflect the reservations of Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reportedly warned that expanding operations would endanger the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and further strain Israel’s army after nearly two years of regional wars.
The military “will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Netanyahu's office said in a statement after the meeting.
Asked in the interview with Fox News ahead of the Security Cabinet meeting if Israel would “take control of all of Gaza,” Netanyahu replied: “We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there.”
“We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter,” Netanyahu said.
Hamas terrorists started the war back in October of 2023 when it massacred more than 1200 Israeli men, women and children and took more than 250 hostages. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes only 20 of them are still alive.
