Israel’s security cabinet continues to debate whether the country will pursue full control of the Gaza Strip, as Hamas has issued a stark warning to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Netanyahu told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that he intends for Israel to take control of the entire Gaza strip, to destroy Hamas, in a significant expansion of the war effort.
"We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza."
He said he would pass responsibility for governing the enclave to Arab forces.
In response, Hamas that Mr Netanyahu’s statements “confirm that he seeks to get rid of his prisoners and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agendas.”
They warned warned that any expansion would “not be a walk in the park, and the price will be heavy and costly for the occupation…”
An Israeli official told AP that the cabinet expected to hold a lengthy debate and approve an expanded military plan.
Key Points
- Netanyahu says he wants Israel to take control of Gaza
- Hamas accuses Netanyahu of invoking a 'coup'
- Security cabinet to meet and discuss Gaza occupation
- Security Cabinet expected to hold lengthy debate to approve Netanyahu's military expansion
- UN official warns of 'catastrophic consequences' of Israel expanding military operations
‘Apocalyptic’ pictures of Gaza’s devastation echo the destruction of the Hiroshima bomb 80 years on
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Bryony Gooch
Recap: How much of Gaza does the Israeli military actually control?
23:00
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Bryony Gooch
The Israeli military says it controls about 75 per cent of Gaza, as prime minster Benjamin Netanyahu pushes for a full military occupation of the Strip.
Most of Gaza's population of about 2 million has been displaced multiple times over the past 22 months and aid groups are warning that the enclave's residents are on the verge of famine.
Some far-right allies in his government have long advocated a full occupation of Gaza and for Israel to re-establish settlements there, two decades after it withdrew.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told reporters Wednesday that he hoped the government would approve the military taking control over the rest of Gaza.
Watch: An Israeli flag displaying photos of the hostages being held up outside the Cabinet meeting
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Bryony Gooch
Pictured: The sun setting over Gaza
21:45
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Bryony Gooch
12,000 children under five in Gaza suffering acute malnutrition - WHO
21:30
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Bryony Gooch
Around 12,000 children aged under five in Gaza are suffering from acute malnutrition, and hunger-related deaths are rising, the Director General of the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
"In July, nearly 12,000 children under five years were identified as having acute malnutrition in Gaza, the highest monthly figure ever recorded," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at his organisation's headquarters in Geneva.
At least 99 people have died, including 64 adults and 35 children, of whom 29 were younger than five, from the start of this year to July 29.
Between June and July, the number of admissions for malnutrition almost doubled - from 6,344 to 11,877 - according to the latest UNICEF figures available.
Some 2,500 of those children are suffering from severe malnutrition.
Recap: Just 1.5 per cent of Gaza’s agricultural land remains accessible and undamaged, says UN
21:15
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Bryony Gooch
A UN report from Wednesday shows that just 8.6 percent of cropland in Gaza is still accessible, while only 1.5 per cent of cropland is both accessible and undamaged, as of 28 July.
More than 86 per cent of cropland is damaged, while 12.4 per cent is undamaged but out of reach, as fighting between Israeli forces and militants from Hamas and other armed groups continues.
This report comes as Israel’s offensive inside Gaza continues to control aid distribution, and starvation-related deaths rise.
The local Ministry of Health reported five new malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 hours on Wednesday, bringing the total to almost 200 starvation-related deaths, half of them children.
Watch: Netanyahu says Israel will take control of all of Gaza
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Bryony Gooch
US to see Hezbollah disbanded by year's end - Reuters
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Bryony Gooch
The United States has presented Lebanon with a proposal for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year, along with ending Israel's military operations in the country and the withdrawal of its troops from five positions in south Lebanon, according to a copy of a Lebanese cabinet agenda reviewed by Reuters.
The plan, submitted by U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to the region, Tom Barrack, and being discussed at a Lebanese cabinet meeting on Thursday, sets out the most detailed steps yet for disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which has rejected mounting calls to disarm since last year's devastating war with Israel.
In pictures: Protesters in Tel Aviv after Netanyahu Gaza comments
20:41
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Bryony Gooch
Arabs 'will only support what Palestinians agree on' says Jordanian official
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Bryony Gooch
A Jordanian official has said that Arabs "will only support what Palestinians agree and decide on" after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel wanted to hand over Gaza to Arab forces that would govern it.
"Security in Gaza must be done through legitimate Palestinian institutions," the source said.
Netanyahu did not elaborate on the governance arrangements or which Arab countries could be involved.
The Israeli leader made the comments to Fox News shortly before a meeting he was due to have on Thursday with a small group of senior ministers to discuss plans for the military to take control of more territory in Gaza
"Arabs will not be agreeing to Netanyahu's policies nor clean his mess," the Jordanian official said in the first reaction by a main Arab neighbour to Netanyahu's comments.
The uninhabited island being converted into a Gaza medical facility
20:20
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Bryony Gooch
'Netanyahu occupation statements intended to tank ceasefire deal' says Palestinian deputy foreign minister
20:11
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Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent
Omar Awadallah, the Palestinian deputy foreign minister, has told The Independent he believes that Netanyahu’s statements were intended to tank any ceasefire deal and that true security for Israelis and Palestinians can only come through peace not more conflict.
“Netanyahu saying this is an attempt to undermine any effort for a real ceasefire in the Gaza Strip - he is using this smoke screen of controlling all of Gaza while Israel is all ready the occupying power,” he said.
“We believe that security comes with peace, not with not reoccupying Gaza or committing genocide against the palestinian people or violating international law.”“Security comes with peace, with stability, with what the international community is willing to do to achieve that.”
Hamas to treat any governing force as 'occupiers linked to Israel'
20:05
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Bryony Gooch
Hamas officials have said that the group will treat any force formed to govern Gaza according to Netanyahu's remarks as an 'occupying' force linked to Israel, according to Al Jazeera Mubasher.
This comes as the group issued a statement warning that any occupation plans would pay a heavy price.
Recap watch: Trump responds to questions about whether he would support an Israeli occupation of Gaza
19:50
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Bryony Gooch
Recap: IDF chief opposes Netanyahu plans to seize Gaza amid fears Israeli hostages and troops will die
19:39
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Bryony Gooch
Exclusive: Israeli sources tell The Independent of the desperate campaign to halt Netanyahu’s Gaza war expansion plan – and say it will only put Israeli troops and hostages at risk.
Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew and Alex Croft report here:
Hostages' families protest outside cabinet meeting
19:31
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Jane Dalton
Families of hostages and released hostages, alongside hundreds of supporters, are protesting outside the Israeli cabinet session in Jerusalem.
The families chained themselves in front of government offices.
Anat Angrest, mother of Matan Angrest, said: “For a year and ten months we’ve been trying to believe that everything is being done to bring them back - you have failed.
“Now it’s necessary to do the one thing the government hasn’t yet done - put a comprehensive deal on the table that will bring them all home together.
“Exactly a year ago, we were told that military pressure would bring them home - a few weeks after that, six hostages were murdered in tunnels.”
‘Apocalyptic’ pictures of Gaza’s devastation echo the destruction of the Hiroshima bomb 80 years on
19:27
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Bryony Gooch
As shocking new images of Gaza’s flattened landscape smothered in ash and dust emerge, the world is pausing to remember another conflict that produced widespread devastation: the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Palestinians have been represented for the first time at a memorial for the bomb dropped on Japan, amid warnings the world has not learned the lessons from 80 years ago. Alex Croft reports.
Read more here:
How much of Gaza does the Israeli military actually control?
19:22
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Bryony Gooch
The Israeli military says it controls about 75 per cent of Gaza.
Most of Gaza's population of about 2 million has been displaced multiple times over the past 22 months and aid groups are warning that the enclave's residents are on the verge of famine.
Some far-right allies in his government have long advocated a full occupation of Gaza and for Israel to re-establish settlements there, two decades after it withdrew.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told reporters Wednesday that he hoped the government would approve the military taking control over the rest of Gaza.
Mapped: Which countries recognise Palestine as a state?
19:14
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Bryony Gooch
Netherlands rules out recognising Palestinian state for now
19:08
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Bryony Gooch
The Dutch government has said it has ruled out recognising a Palestinian state for now despite growing public concern over Gaza but said Israel's actions in the war-ravaged territory were eroding its own security.
The Netherlands' stance is in contrast to that of some NATO allies, most notably France, which has said it will recognise Palestinian statehood in September. Britain has also said it will do so unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza, where starvation is spreading, and agrees a ceasefire.
"The Netherlands is not planning to recognise a Palestinian state at this time," Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told an emergency parliamentary debate on Gaza after lawmakers were recalled from their summer vacation.
Veldkamp also rejected calls to halt arms imports from Israel, saying the Netherlands prioritised domestic and EU procurement before sourcing from third countries.
However, he said the Netherlands had already taken "significant steps" including travel bans on two Israeli ministers, adding: "This war has ceased to be a just war and is now leading to the erosion of Israel's own security and identity."
Hamas warns occupation plans 'will not be a walk in the park'
19:00
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Bryony Gooch
Hamas has released a statement in response to Israeli prime minister Netanyahu’s plans to expand military action.
“Netanyahu’s plans to expand the aggression confirm that he seeks to get rid of his prisoners and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agendas.
“We affirm that Gaza will remain resistant to the occupation and attempts to impose guardianship over it.”
The organisation warned that expanding the aggression “will not be a walk in the park, and the price will be heavy and costly for the occupation…”
11 per cent of gunshot injuries were to head and neck following GHF distribution site incidents - MSF
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Bryony Gooch
As part of Medecins Sans Frontier’s latest report into the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, they revealed the patterns of gunshot wounds entering their clinics following distribution incidents.
An initial analysis of the gunshot wounds among patients arriving at the Al-Mawasi clinic found that 11 per cent of the gunshot injuries were to the head and neck, while 19 per cent were to areas covering the chest, abdomen, and back.
By contrast, people arriving from the Khan Younis Distribution Centre were far more likely to arrive with gunshot wounds to the lower limbs.
“The distinct patterns and anatomical precision of these injuries strongly suggests the intentional targeting of people within and around the distribution sites, rather than accidental or indiscriminate fire,” the report read.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites 'morphed into a laboratory of cruelty' - MSF
18:30
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Bryony Gooch
Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) have said that Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites are “orchestrated killing and dehumanisation”
Raquel Ayora, MSF General Director for MSF Spain, said there had been “children shot in the chest while reaching for food. People crushed or suffocated in stampedes. Entire crowds gunned down at distribution points.”
“In MSF’s nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians.”
“The GHF distribution sites masquerading as ‘aid’ have morphed into a laboratory of cruelty,” said Ayora. “This must stop now.”
Hamas accuses Netanyahu of invoking a 'coup'
18:25
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Bryony Gooch
Hamas has responded to Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks over military expansion as the Israeli prime minister attends a security meeting to discuss seizing control of Gaza.
Hamas said that the prime minister’s remarks constituted “a coup” on Gaza’s ceasefire negotiation track.
They added it show his aims to get rid of hostages and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests.
Questions remain over which Arab forces will govern Gaza
18:20
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Bryony Gooch
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Fox News that Israel plans on handing governing duties of Gaza to Arab forces, although it remains unclear which forces would take up the mantle.
Netanyahu said prior to his security cabinet meeting that Gaza should be governed by a “civil authority that is not Israel”.
Netanyahu claims Israel will take control of Gaza to ‘liberate’ people from Hamas
18:17
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Bryony Gooch
In his latest interview with Fox News, Netanyahu has said that Israel intends for its military takeover to liberate Gaza from Hamas.
“We want to hand [Gaza] over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life.
“That’s not possible with Hamas. The only way that you can have a different future is to get rid of this Neo-Nazi army. Hamas are monsters.”
MSF calls for immediate dismantling of GHF scheme
18:14
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Bryony Gooch
Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) has called for the immediate dismantling of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) scheme and the restoration of the UN-coordinated aid delivery mechanism as it released a new report condemning the Israeli-American organisation delivering aid in Gaza.
GHF has been subject to criticism for months as its aid distribution sites have seen multiple Palestinians killed while seeking aid.
MSF released a report after two of its primary healthcare centres received 1,380 casualties, including 28 dead bodies, coming from GHF sites. Among the injured were 174 people with gunshot wounds, including women and children.
“The level of mismanagement, chaos and violence at GHF distribution sites amounts to either reckless negligence or a deliberately designed death trap,” the report claims.
In pictures: Aid dropped over war-torn Gaza Strip
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Bryony Gooch
Recap: Trump envoys praise ‘incredible’ aid efforts during Gaza visit after UN says nearly 1,400 Palestinians killed seeking food
18:05
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Bryony Gooch
Two top US officials visited aid distribution sites in Gaza on Friday, hailing the work of a controversial agency delivering food, after the UN said hundreds of Palestinians have died while seeking help.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee joined Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff for a visit to an aid site in Rafah run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which took control of aid distribution in May.
The pair are the first high-profile US officials to visit the enclave, which has been in the grip of a hunger crisis in recent weeks, since the war began. Mr Witkoff said the visit was part of a bid to put together a new US-backed aid plan for the war-shattered territory.
Alex Croft reports here:
Netanyahu suggests governing responsibilities over Gaza would go to Arab forces
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Bryony Gooch
Speaking to Fox News, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country had no intention of governing Gaza, despite his aim of occupying the war-torn strip.
“We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body,” he added.
Instead, he implied that Arab forces would take responsibility for governing the enclave.
Inside the aid drops onto Gaza’s torched ruins – with the starving too weak to fight for food
17:53
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Bryony Gooch
As pallets of aid are flung out of aircraft onto those starving in Gaza, chief international correspondent Bel Trew joins a Jordanian flight – while Nedal Hamdouna watches from the devastated enclave below.
Read more here.
Watch Gaza from above: Chilling footage shows devastation of enclave
17:50
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Bryony Gooch
Security Cabinet expected to hold lengthy debate to approve Netanyahu's military expansion
17:44
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Bryony Gooch
An Israeli official has said the Security Cabinet is expected to hold a lengthy debate and approve an expanded military plan to conquer all or parts of Gaza not yet under Israeli control.
The official said that whatever is approved would be implemented gradually and in stages, with the idea of increasing pressure on Hamas.
The comments appear to have exposed a rift between Mr Netanyahu and his army.
Israel's army chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, has warned that the plan would endanger the hostages and further strain Israel's army, which has been stretched thin during a nearly two-year war, according to Israeli media.
Such a step has also drawn opposition across Israel, with hostage families saying it could threaten their loved ones.
42 Palestinians killed in airstrikes and shootings
17:39
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Bryony Gooch
At least 42 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes and shootings across southern Gaza, according to local hospitals.
Of the 42 people killed on Thursday, at least 13 were seeking aid in an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where UN aid convoys are regularly overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds.
Another two were killed on roads leading to nearby sites run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.
Neither the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation nor the Israeli military, which helps secure the group's sites, commented on the strikes or shootings. The military zone, known as the Morag Corridor, is off limits to independent media.
The Israeli military has accused Hamas of operating in densely populated civilian areas.
In pictures: Palestinians and Israelis join together to protest starvation in Gaza in the West Bank
17:34
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Bryony Gooch
'There's nothing left to occupy' says Gaza citizen living in displacement camp
17:27
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Bryony Gooch
As Netanyahu intends to put forward plans to occupy Gaza to his security cabinet, Palestinians are braced for further misery.
"There is nothing left to occupy," said Maysaa al-Heila, who is living in a displacement camp. "There is no Gaza left."
Israel's 22-month offensive has already killed tens of thousands of people, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and caused severe and widespread hunger.
At least 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings across southern Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals.
Watch: Netanyahu says Israel will take control of all of Gaza
17:22
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Bryony Gooch
UN official warns of 'catastrophic consequences' of Israel expanding military operations
17:17
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Bryony Gooch
UN official Miroslav Jenča warned the UN Security Council yesterday against any expansion of Israel’s military operations.
“This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza,” he said.
He added that under international law, Gaza “is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian state”.
Israel's security cabinet to meet and discuss Gaza occupation
17:11
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Bryony Gooch
Israel’s security cabinet is set to meet today and discuss a military takeover of Gaza, an idea which has caused controversy across Israel.
The security cabinet session follows a meeting this week with the head of the military, which Israeli officials have described as tense, saying the military chief had pushed back on expanding the campaign.
Opinion polls show that most Israelis want the war to end in a deal that would see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas-led Palestinian militants.isr
Netanyahu says he wants Israel to take control of Gaza
16:55
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Daniel Keane
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants Israel to take military control of all of Gaza in a significant expansion of the war effort.
"We intend to," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News when asked if Israel would take over the entire coastal territory.
"We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter.”
But he added: “We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body."
