The Hebrew state had evacuated the enclave in 2005. The Israeli army is not favorable to a return.
The Israeli cabinet could authorize a complete military control of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, several Israeli media reported, while many countries are pressing Benjamin Netanyahu to order a cease-fire and amplify humanitarian support for the Gazan population.
The Prime Minister leans, in fact, for an extended offensive and the takeover of the entire enclave, after 22 months of war against Hamas, said the Israeli channel Channel 12.
“It is necessary to defeat Hamas”
The Prime Minister of Israel said on Tuesday that the release of all Israeli hostages detained in Gaza will inevitably go through a total victory over Hamas. “It is necessary to completely overcome the enemy in Gaza, to release all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer constitute a threat to Israel. We do not give up any of these missions”he said.
A senior Israeli official told Reuters on Monday that the use of increased force was envisaged after the failure of indirect negotiations with Hamas on a cease-fire. Such an operation would return to the decision made in 2005 by Israel to withdraw its colonists and its troops from Gaza while retaining border control.
Israeli tanks have entered Gaza
The Israeli army has so far opposed the idea of a complete occupation of Gaza and to the establishment of a military administration, which would require long -term governance. But the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel should take “All measures necessary to defeat Hamas” In the Gaza Strip.
Israeli tanks entered the center of Gaza on Tuesday, but there was nothing to assert with certainty that this advance was part of a larger terrestrial offensive. One thing is certain: Benjamin Netanyahu obviously does not intend to change strategy despite international pressure, following the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.