Asked in an interview with Fox News if Israel would “take control of all of Gaza,” Netanyahu replied: “We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza.” The Security Cabinet would still need to approve such a decision.

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča called reports that Israel intends to pursue a full-scale takeover of Gaza “deeply alarming” at a U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday, warning that doing so “would risk catastrophic consequences.”