In an interview with Fox News today (Thursday), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked if Israel would take control of all of Gaza. He answered that "we intend to, in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of [Hamas], and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone who seeks the destruction of Israel. We want to liberate ourselves and the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas."
He noted that interviewer Bill Hemmer visited the Gaza Strip today and met Gazans who oppose Hamas. "Finally, they see that they have a future. They can rid themselves of this awful tyranny that not only hold our hostages, but holds two million Palestinians in Gaza hostage. That's got to end."
When asked if Israel wants to reverse the Disengagement from Gaza that was carried out 20 years ago this month, Netanyahu responded: "We don't want to keep it. We want a security perimeter, [but] 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, and giving Gazans a good life. That's not possible with Hamas."
"The only way that you're going to have a different future is to get rid of this neo-Nazi army. Hamas are monsters," Netanyahu declared.
Earlier this week, sources close to Netanyahu reported that the Prime Minister has made the decision to conquer the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Swords of Iron. The security cabinet is expected to vote on the decision today.
Netanyahu's decision follows the collapse of talks on a ceasefire deal that would have seen the release of ten of the living hostages due to Hamas' intransigence and the publication of propaganda videos by Hamas and Islamic Jihad showing two hostages enduring severe starvation and torture.
Israel currently controls about 75% of Gaza. However, it has avoided sending the IDF into certain areas out of concern that the hostages could be harmed. Recent events, including the announcements that the governments of France, Canada, and the UK will recognize a Palestinian state next month regardless of whether Hamas remains in power and continues to hold hostages or not, have convinced the Israeli government that Hamas has no incentive to agree to release the hostages and that only military pressure can bring them home.