Coming soon: Netanyahu approved a full offensive on Gaza

Israel's security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal for the military takeover of Gaza City.

Although the official statement avoided using the term "occupation," opting for "takeover" to avoid legal implications regarding the civilian population, the plan is expected to involve a sustained and large-scale military operation.

During the same session, the cabinet defined five principles for ending the war: the disarmament of Hamas; the return of all hostages, alive or deceased; the demilitarization of the Strip; the maintenance of security control by Israel; and the establishment of a civil government that is not under the control of either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

The decision was not free from internal tensions.

The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, expressed his reservations, warning about the complexity of moving one million people to the south of the enclave without a clear humanitarian plan.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir replied by demanding political determination and warning against temporary agreements that, in his view, would mean defeat.

In the same vein, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted that Hamas "must pay a price for what it did".

Sources close to Smotrich criticized that the approved plan seems to be oriented more toward an agreement than toward total occupation, noting that it doesn't seek full military control of the territory, but rather to pressure Hamas to return to the negotiating table.

Satellite images analyzed by U.S. officials and released by NBC show a significant increase in Israeli troops and military equipment near the Gaza border, suggesting an imminent large-scale ground operation.

The cabinet meeting lasted about ten hours and the plan includes a military siege of Gaza City, with the forced relocation of around one million residents to the south of the enclave.

Subsequently, the plan foresees attacks on "terrorist strongholds" in the city and the expansion of operations toward the central refugee camps.

The offensive, which could last at least six months, aims, in Netanyahu's words, "to militarily take over the entire Gaza Strip, dismantle Hamas, and transfer control to another authority."

Meanwhile, a Hamas representative warned Al Jazeera Mubasher that they will consider any force that assumes control of Gaza as an "occupying power" linked to Israel.