Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated Israel intends to assume full control of the Gaza Strip, according to a recent interview with Fox News. He emphasized the objective is to liberate both Israelis and Palestinians within Gaza from what he described as the “horrific terror” of Hamas.
While asserting Israel does not seek to maintain a long-term presence in Gaza, Netanyahu indicated plans to transfer control to unspecified “forces” capable of governing the territory effectively. He also proposed the establishment of a security zone around the Gaza Strip, though the specific dimensions of this zone remain undefined. The Gaza Strip itself is a relatively narrow territory, ranging from six to fourteen kilometers in width.
Netanyahu accused Hamas of holding not only Israeli hostages but also of effectively holding captive the two million Palestinian residents of Gaza. He alleged the group intends to implement a policy of deprivation and stated Israel is working to prevent this. Israel currently maintains control over access for humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Recent assessments indicate a critical need for a minimum of 500 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily to meet the population’s requirements. However, due to Israeli restrictions, only around 70 trucks have been permitted to enter each day in recent weeks.
An integrated analysis of food security phases conducted in May predicted that the entire population of Gaza will be facing high acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) by September. The analysis further forecasted that approximately half a million people will be in a catastrophic situation (IPC Phase 5) characterized by extreme food shortages, famine, destitution and death, by that time. More than 70,000 children under five and 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are estimated to be acutely malnourished throughout the area.