The announcement comes after Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take full control of Gaza and hand over the territory’s governance to friendly Arab forces

The Israeli prime minister’s office also said the “vast majority of cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented in the cabinet would not achieve the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages”.

Netanyahu’s office said on X that the security cabinet voted by a majority to adopt what he called “the five principles for ending the war”. It listed them as (translated from Hebrew):

1. Disarming Hamas of its weapons.

2. Return of all hostages – both the living and the deceased.

The Political-Security Cabinet approved the Prime Minister’s proposal for the defeat of Hamas.

The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones.