The Israeli security firm approved the plan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the night of Thursday to Friday to “defeat Hamas”. This provides in particular the occupation by the Israeli army of the city of Gaza, in the heart of the Palestinian enclave of the same name. This is what Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet announces on Friday by press release.
According to this plan discussed for ten hours, since Thursday at the end of the afternoon, and voted by majority, it is expected that the Israeli army has taken control of the city of Gaza, in the north of the territory, and that it provides humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians outside the combat areas.
Five objectives to “conclude the war” have also been determined, indicates the cabinet of the Prime Minister: the disarmament of the Palestinian Islamist movement, the return of the 50 Israeli hostages – whether alive or dead – always retained in Gaza strip, the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave, Israeli security control of the Gazaoui territory and Hamas or Palestinian authority.
“A decisive majority of the cabinet ministers also considered that an alternative plan” subject to the ministers’ exam “would neither allow Hamas or to recover the hostages,” said the press release, without giving other details.
In an interview on the American conservative channel Fox News on Thursday before this meeting, Benjamin Netanyahu had announced Israel’s “intention” to take control of the entire Gaza, without wanting it to “govern”. It has not been specified if the plan approved by the Security Council provides for such an operation.
Israel currently controls around 75 % of the Gaza Strip, inhabited by nearly two million Palestinians.
