Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Thursday evening that Israel intends to fully occupy the Gaza Strip until an Arab civilian government free of Hamas can take over.
“We intend to in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free in Gaza, and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas or anyone advocating for the destruction of Israel,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer.
‘WE INTEND TO’: Israeli prime minister @netanyahu tells FOX News’ @BillHemmer that Israel is aiming to take control of Gaza in order to liberate its people from the grips of Hamas and end the threat of the terror regime against his country. pic.twitter.com/lxQkYKHEB8
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 7, 2025
The announcement comes after Hamas tanked ceasefire negotiations last month, leading to President Donald Trump saying the terror group “wants to die.”
According to Netanyahu, there is no path forward with Hamas.
“You met Palestinians who are fighting Hamas because finally they see that they have a future that can rid themselves of this awful tyranny that not only holds our hostages but holds 2 million Palestinians in Gaza hostage,” Netanyahu told Hemmer, who visited a U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site before the interview.
About 50 hostages remain in Gaza, some believed to be alive, others presumed dead.
Netanyahu made it clear that Israel does not wish to permanently occupy Gaza but would rather give it to a capable Arab-led government.
“We don’t want to keep it, we want to have a security perimeter,” he said. “We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us.”
Israel evacuated Jewish civilian communities from the Gaza Strip — known as Gush Katif — 20 years ago this month, as part of the 2005 disengagement plan to give land for peace. Shortly after, Hamas violently seized control of Gaza and turned the Strip into a terror hub.
“We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “The only way you will have a different future is to get rid of this neo-Nazi army.”
The IDF has been finishing up its operation dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots” in recent weeks and has withdrawn its elite 98th Division, made up of paratroopers and commando units, along with two reserve brigades, reported the Times of Israel. The operation led to the IDF gaining control of approximately 75% of the Gaza Strip. Since the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, 48 IDF soldiers have been killed.
Netanyahu’s new plan would require the IDF to ramp up its presence in Gaza and increase its attacks on Hamas.
“They are really cruel to their own people because when we try to take them away from the combat zones, they shoot them. They want people to be civilian casualties. They want a starvation policy that they themselves are trying to put into being and we’re doing everything to reverse that.”
An official in Netanyahu’s office earlier this week said the plan will include the Israel Defense Forces operating in areas where hostages are believed to be held, despite Hamas’s threats to murder hostages if forces get too close, The Jerusalem Post reported. Hamas killed six hostages last August — including American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin— in Rafah shortly before the IDF reached them.
The Prime Minister’s office also encouraged IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, to resign from his position if he disagrees with a full occupation.
“If this does not suit him, you should resign,” the office reportedly said.
