Shafaq News – Gaza

Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan on Friday proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to establish military control over Gaza City, a move that has sparked sharp criticism from opposition leaders and heightened concerns over the fate of hostages.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli military is preparing to take control of the city “while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones.”

According to the statement, the cabinet voted in favor of five key principles to end the war:

1. The disarming of Hamas.

2. The return of all the hostages – the living and the deceased.

3. The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

4. Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip.

5. The establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

The government statement added that a “decisive majority” of ministers rejected a competing proposal presented to the cabinet, stating it would “neither achieve the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages” though no further details were disclosed.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply condemned the decision, calling it a “disaster” that would lead to “many more disasters.” He blamed far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for pushing Netanyahu into what he described as “a step that will take months, cost the lives of hostages and soldiers, and trap Israel on the battlefield with no clear objective”—something he claimed was “exactly what Hamas wants.”

Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Israel Beitenu party, also criticized the plan, accusing Netanyahu of “once again sacrificing Israeli security for political survival.”

Yair Golan, leader of Israel’s Democratic Party, called the decision—reportedly made “against the advice of the army chief”—a “disaster for generations and a death sentence for the hostages.” He urged intensified public protest against Netanyahu’s government, saying, “bringing it down will save lives.”

On Thursday, Netanyahu declared that Israel intends to militarily control the entire Gaza Strip before eventually handing it over to Arab forces “capable of governing it appropriately.”

In response, Hamas accused Netanyahu of planning to “expand aggression” and sacrificing the hostages to serve his “personal political interests.”