Netanyahu says that Israel intends

“We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a government authority,” he said.

Netanyahu made these statements before a meeting of the Safety Cabinet of Israel began, after which a definitive decision is expected about the next movements in Gaza.

Thousands of Israelis concentrated in front of the office of the prime minister in Jerusalem, headquarters of the meeting, to protest against the total occupation plan of Netanyahu.

Waiting for the final decision to communicate, Israel's defense forces ordered the residents of the city of Gaza (not yet occupied) to evacuate the possibility of attacks.

It is believed that the plan to completely occupy Gaza, whose objective would be to destroy Hamas, would force a million residents of the Strip to move further south.

Israel, who controls around 75% of the territory, has not operated in the city of Gaza or in the camps in the center of the strip, where around one million Palestinians live.

The army has warned that an expansion of the offensive to achieve total gaza control would endanger the 20 Israeli hostages that are believed to remain alive and are retained in those areas, in addition to putting the soldiers at risk.

The families of the hostages share these concerns and believe that the only way to guarantee their release is through a negotiated agreement.

Family groups demonstrated in front of the office of the Prime Minister of Israel in Jerusalem to protest against the decision of Netyahu, which they consider “a death sentence and the immediate disappearance of our loved ones.”

The newspaper Ma'ariv He informed Thursday that the “predominant estimate is that most living hostages, and possibly all, will die” if the offensive is extended, either at the hands of their captors or accidentally by the fire of Israeli soldiers.

Other Israeli media affirm that the Israel Defense Forces (FDI) will perform maneuvers in areas where they are believed to find the hostages, as well as in regions of Centro de Gaza that have so far avoided largely during the conflict.

Hamas responded to Netanyahu's announcement with a statement in which he accuses the Israeli prime minister to want to “continue his genocide and displacement policy committing more crimes” against the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian armed group said that the announcement of a total occupation “represents a clear reverse in the course of negotiations and clearly reveals the true reasons behind their retirement from the final round.”

He claimed that, if he carried out his plans, “the price will be high” since Netanyahu would be willing to “sacrifice” the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza.

Netanyahu's statements about Gaza's future arrive at a time when Israeli air attacks continue.

In its most recent update, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported that 61,258 people have died and 152,045 have been injured in Israeli attacks since the conflict began 21 months ago.

The UN estimates that, as a result of Israel's military operations, 87% of Gaza is today a designated military zone or is subject to evacuation orders.

Given this situation, the displaced Palestinians have been forced to settle in refugee camps in the remaining areas, while United Nations agencies have warned of the existence of a massive famine.

According to the Ministry of Health, four people have died from malnutrition in the last 24 hours, which would take the total number of deaths from malnutrition from the beginning of the war to 197, including 96 children.

Israel has insisted that “there is no famine” in Gaza, and has supported the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as a help distributor organization.

It has also recently allowed aerial supplies launches in the territory.

However, a group of UN experts asked that the GHF be dismantled after the international agency reported that at least 859 people have died near their distribution centers since it began operations.

Correspondent in the Middle East, from Jerusalem

Surveys suggest that the vast majority of Israeli public opinion prefers an agreement with Hamas for the liberation of hostages and the end of the war.

Israeli leaders claim that, at this time, Hamas is not interested in negotiating since, in their opinion, the group is grown by international pressure on Israel due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The threat of a total occupation could be part of a strategy to try to force the group to make concessions in the stagnant negotiations.

But many believe that Netanyahu is prolonging the conflict to guarantee the survival of his coalition, whose continuity depends on the support of ultra -nationalist ministers who have threatened to leave the government if an agreement with Hamas is reached.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have publicly defended the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza-which could be equivalent to a forced displacement of civilians, a war crime-and the repopulation of this territory with Jews.

It is not clear if the total occupation would mean a short -term operation or a long -term control outlet.

In any case, any expansion of Israel's operations in Gaza probably receives strong international criticism and isolates the country even more.

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