Jerusalem, Aug 8: Israel's Security Cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Friday.

Israel intended to take control of all of Gaza to "assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza," Netanyahu said on Thursday, in an interview with Fox News ahead of the Security Cabinet meeting, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life," he said.

In response, Hamas said in a statement that it considers Netanyahu's statements to represent "a clear reversal of the course of negotiations and reveal the true motives behind his withdrawal from the final round."

At least 9,752 Palestinians have been killed and 40,004 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes in Gaza on March 18, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 61,258, and injuries to 152,045, Gaza-based health authorities said Thursday.

Earlier this week, the Israeli military said five countries dropped 107 aid packages over Gaza on Wednesday.

The packages, containing food, were airdropped by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Germany, Belgium and France, according to a military statement.

The airdrops began in late July after photos of starving children in Gaza sparked global outrage over Israel's continued blockade.

But, United Nations officials and experts say the airdrops will have little impact unless Israel opens the crossings to allow more aid in and permits medical treatment for the malnourished. Israel has struck and damaged or destroyed all hospitals in Gaza.

Israel's blockade and military offensive have caused famine to spread in Gaza nearly 22 months after the war began.

On July 27, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that the military will carry out a "local tactical pause of military activity" in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip, starting from 10 am (local time) to 8 pm (local time).

The military said that the "pause" will be implemented "every day until further notice" in areas where the IDF is not currently carrying out operations with ground troops, including Deir al-Balah, al-Mawasi and Gaza City, The Times of Israel reported.

According to the military, the decision was taken "in accordance with directives from the political echelon, and as part of the IDF's ongoing effort, led by COGAT, to increase the scope of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip."

(IANS)

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