Gaza [Palestine], August 6: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met senior security officials to finalise a new strategy for the nearly two-year war in Gaza, his office said on Tuesday, with media reporting he favoured a complete military takeover of the Strip.
Despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave, efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have collapsed.
Local health authorities said at least 20 people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they waited for UN aid trucks in the northern Gaza Strip.
In southern Gaza, 20 people were wounded by Israeli gunfire as they waited to get aid from UN aid trucks near Morag Square near Rafah, medics said.
Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said, while at least 80 died in the latest Israeli firing.
The prime minister's office said in a statement that Netanyahu had held a "limited security discussion" lasting about three hours during which military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir "presented the options for continuing the campaign in Gaza".
An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters that Defence Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also attend the meeting to decide on a strategy to take to the cabinet this week.
Israeli media reported on Tuesday that the cabinet would convene on Thursday at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT).
Israel's Channel 12, citing an official from Netanyahu's office, had said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory.
That would reverse a 2005 decision to withdraw from Gaza, while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there.
It was unclear, however, whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages.
The prime minister's office declined to comment on the Channel 12 report.
"It is still necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, release our hostages and ensure that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel," Netanyahu told new recruits at a military base. "We are not giving up on any of these missions."
The United Nations called reports about a possible decision to expand Israel's military operations throughout the Gaza Strip "deeply alarming" if true.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment on reports regarding Israel's potential strategy. "I'm not going to speak to news reports or what another government is planning," department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a briefing.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump discussed plans for the United States to significantly increase its role in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza in a meeting Monday evening at the White House, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing two U.S. officials and an Israeli official with knowledge of the issue. Bruce also declined comment on the Axios report.
On Saturday, Hamas released a video of Evyatar David, one of 50 hostages still held in Gaza, appearing emaciated in what seemed to be an underground tunnel. The images shocked Israelis and sparked international condemnation.
Throughout the war, there has been sustained international pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages, of whom Israeli officials estimate 20 are still alive.
Most hostages have been released during ceasefires following diplomatic negotiations. Israel broke the last ceasefire.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
