Netanyahu says Israel to 'control all of Gaza'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip, as the military ramps up air strikes on the besieged Palestinian territory.

In a video statement, addressing the imminent entry of a small number of aid trucks into Gaza, the first in nearly two months, Netanyahu said the decision was made to avoid international backlash.

“The fighting is intense, and we are making progress. We're going to take control of the entire Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said in the video, which was posted to his Telegram channel.

He added that while Israel would not “give up,” it must act “in a way that cannot be stopped” to secure victory.

“We must not let the population of Gaza sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,” he said.

Netanyahu revealed that close allies, including pro-Israel US senators, had urged him to allow some humanitarian aid to avoid images of mass starvation, which could undermine international support.

“Our best friends in the world, senators who are passionate supporters of Israel, came to me and said they would provide all the assistance needed to achieve victory: weapons, backing for eliminating Hamas, and protection at the UN Security Council,” Netanyahu said.

“But there’s one thing they said they cannot support: images of mass starvation. ‘We cannot stand by you in that situation,’ they told me. So, in order to achieve victory, we must address that problem.”

Following his announcement, members of Netanyahu's coalition criticised his decision to allow minimal aid into the Gaza Strip. 

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich backed the prime minister's orders, saying that the methods used by the army will be "different from what it used to be."

"No aid is going to Hamas, period. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. The population will reach the south of the Gaza Strip and from there to third countries," he doubled down. 

"For two and a half months we have not sent humanitarian aid and this has created a lot of pressure on Hamas, and that is good - but even pressure needs to be regulated so that it does not explode in our faces," Smotrich said adding that the majority of aid will be rationed food sent to bakeries and public kitchens. 

"It will not reach Hamas," the far-right politician stressed. "It will allow citizens to eat and our friends in the world to continue to provide us with an international umbrella of protection against the Security Council and the Hague Court."

Expulsion orders, hospital attacks

As the Israeli military expands its ground operations in Gaza, residents of Khan Younis, including the Bani Suhaila and Abasan areas, have been ordered to evacuate ahead of what the army has described as an “unprecedented attack.”

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, issued the warning in a post on X, declaring Khan Younis a “dangerous combat zone.”

He instructed residents of the designated areas to move toward the al-Mawasi zone in southern Gaza, which the military has previously labelled a “humanitarian area.”

Meanwhile, in the northern Gaza Strip, the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahya has reportedly come under fire.

According to Arab48, Israeli military vehicles have surrounded the facility and opened fire, isolating those inside, including medical personnel and patients.