Gaza latest: Netanyahu says he wants Israel to take control of entire enclave as security cabinet meets

The Israeli military says it controls about 75 per cent of Gaza.

Most of Gaza’s population of about 2 million has been displaced multiple times over the past 22 months and aid groups are warning that the enclave’s residents are on the verge of famine.

Some far-right allies in his government have long advocated a full occupation of Gaza and for Israel to re-establish settlements there, two decades after it withdrew.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told reporters Wednesday that he hoped the government would approve the military taking control over the rest of Gaza.

The Dutch government has said it has ruled out recognising a Palestinian state for now despite growing public concern over Gaza but said Israel’s actions in the war-ravaged territory were eroding its own security.

The Netherlands’ stance is in contrast to that of some NATO allies, most notably France, which has said it will recognise Palestinian statehood in September. Britain has also said it will do so unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza, where starvation is spreading, and agrees a ceasefire.

“The Netherlands is not planning to recognise a Palestinian state at this time,” Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told an emergency parliamentary debate on Gaza after lawmakers were recalled from their summer vacation.

Veldkamp also rejected calls to halt arms imports from Israel, saying the Netherlands prioritised domestic and EU procurement before sourcing from third countries.

However, he said the Netherlands had already taken “significant steps” including travel bans on two Israeli ministers, adding: “This war has ceased to be a just war and is now leading to the erosion of Israel’s own security and identity.”

Hamas has released a statement in response to Israeli prime minister Netanyahu’s plans to expand military action.

“Netanyahu’s plans to expand the aggression confirm that he seeks to get rid of his prisoners and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests and extremist ideological agendas.

“We affirm that Gaza will remain resistant to the occupation and attempts to impose guardianship over it.”

The organisation warned that expanding the aggression “will not be a walk in the park, and the price will be heavy and costly for the occupation…”

As part of Medecins Sans Frontier’s latest report into the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, they revealed the patterns of gunshot wounds entering their clinics following distribution incidents.

An initial analysis of the gunshot wounds among patients arriving at the Al-Mawasi clinic found that 11 per cent of the gunshot injuries were to the head and neck, while 19 per cent were to areas covering the chest, abdomen, and back.

By contrast, people arriving from the Khan Younis Distribution Centre were far more likely to arrive with gunshot wounds to the lower limbs.

“The distinct patterns and anatomical precision of these injuries strongly suggests the intentional targeting of people within and around the distribution sites, rather than accidental or indiscriminate fire,” the report read.

Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) have said that Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites are “orchestrated killing and dehumanisation”

Raquel Ayora, MSF General Director for MSF Spain, said there had been “children shot in the chest while reaching for food. People crushed or suffocated in stampedes. Entire crowds gunned down at distribution points.”

“In MSF’s nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians.”

“The GHF distribution sites masquerading as ‘aid’ have morphed into a laboratory of cruelty,” said Ayora. “This must stop now.”

Hamas has responded to Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks over military expansion as the Israeli prime minister attends a security meeting to discuss seizing control of Gaza.

Hamas said that the prime minister’s remarks constituted “a coup” on Gaza’s ceasefire negotiation track.

They added it show his aims to get rid of hostages and sacrifice them to serve his personal interests.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Fox News that Israel plans on handing governing duties of Gaza to Arab forces, although it remains unclear which forces would take up the mantle.

Netanyahu said prior to his security cabinet meeting that Gaza should be governed by a “civil authority that is not Israel”.

In his latest interview with Fox News, Netanyahu has said that Israel intends for its military takeover to liberate Gaza from Hamas.

“We want to hand [Gaza] 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 can have a different future is to get rid of this Neo-Nazi army. Hamas are monsters.”

Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) has called for the immediate dismantling of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) scheme and the restoration of the UN-coordinated aid delivery mechanism as it released a new report condemning the Israeli-American organisation delivering aid in Gaza.

GHF has been subject to criticism for months as its aid distribution sites have seen multiple Palestinians killed while seeking aid.

MSF released a report after two of its primary healthcare centres received 1,380 casualties, including 28 dead bodies, coming from GHF sites. Among the injured were 174 people with gunshot wounds, including women and children.

“The level of mismanagement, chaos and violence at GHF distribution sites amounts to either reckless negligence or a deliberately designed death trap,” the report claims.