() Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday again denied claims he wants to take over the Gaza Strip to occupy it.
“We are not going to occupy Gaza we are going to free Gaza from Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a post on X, hours after Israel confirmed its plans to intensify the war by attempting to completely overtake Gaza City.
He said his plans for the region if he were to take it fully would include demilitarizing the area and establishing a “peaceful civilian administration” that is not run by Hamas or Palestinian officials.
“This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future,” Netanyahu wrote.
His post echoes sentiments he shared during a Fox News interview on Thursday, when he said a takeover of Gaza’s (formerly) most populous city would “liberate” its people.
Just days ago, U.S. President Donald Trump stated it would be up to Israel to decide how much of Gaza it wanted to control, a signal that the U.S. would not work to stop Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip.
Currently, Israel controls roughly 75% of Gaza, which it has repeatedly bombarded through air and ground invasions.
Humanitarian groups have warned of mass starvation due to the destruction and reduction of aid getting through to the territory, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.
An Israeli takeover in Gaza would come as the global community has put pressure on Netanyahu to end the campaign. It would also come after the United Kingdom, France and Canada announced they would recognize a Palestinian state, something most Western countries have not done.
As of July 30, more than 60,000 Palestinians and nearly 2,000 Israelis have been reported dead from the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
‘s Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
