Israeli Security Cabinet approves plan to occupy Gaza City

1. Total disarmament of Hamas
2. The return of all remaining hostages, living and dead
3. The demilitarisation of Gaza
4. Israeli security control of the Strip
5. A new civilian government with no input from either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority - with Netanyahu publicly proposing handing governance over to third-party Arab states

The PMO also specifically stated that, during the occupation, humanitarian aid will be distributed to civilians outside of combat zones.

A spokesperson said: “The Security Cabinet has approved the Prime Minister's proposal for defeating Hamas.

“A decisive majority of Security Cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan that had been submitted to the Security Cabinet would neither achieve the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages.”

Their support for the plan reportedly came despite warnings from the IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.

The “alternative plan” mentioned by the PMO may refer to the one reportedly favoured by IDF leadership – a gradual campaign of encircling population centres in the Strip and then launching periodic attacks rather than all-out occupation.

Zamir is reported to have told the meeting: "The lives of the hostages will be in danger if we go ahead with this plan to occupy Gaza.

"There is no way to guarantee that we will not harm them.

"Our forces are worn out, the military tools need maintenance, and there are humanitarian and sanitary [concerns regarding the Palestinian population]."

However, the Security Cabinet stopped short of approving the total occupation of Gaza, an option favoured by the prime minister.

That being said, Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News shortly before the vote that this remained his intention and the current plan does not rule out further expansion of the campaign in the future.