Image source, Reuters

The leader of the opposition in Israel says the security cabinet's decision to take over Gaza City is "a disaster" that will "lead to many more disasters".

Yair Lapid says a takeover of Gaza City would lead to the deaths of the remaining hostages and the killing of many Israeli soldiers.

The plan is "in complete opposition to the opinion of the military and security ranks", he adds. As we reported earlier, the army's chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir had warned against the move.

He accuses Netanyahu of bowing to pressure from far-right security cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. As a reminder, the Israeli prime minister's coalition relies on the support of ultranationalist ministers who have threatened to quit the government if there is any deal with Hamas.

Israeli PM Netanyahu's newly-approved plan aims to see Israeli forces move to take control of Gaza City, in the north of the enclave, for the first time during this conflict.

The city is home to one million residents and is surrounded by land that has already been under Israel Defense Forces (IDF) control or subject to an evacuation order.

Israel says it controls 75% of Gaza, while the UN estimates some 86% of the territory is either in militarised zones or under evacuation orders.

Further south, there are areas on the central Gaza Strip, along the Mediterranean coast, that Israel does not occupy, according to the UN.

These areas include refugee camps, where much of Gaza's population is currently living after their homes were destroyed by Israel's military.

Early on Friday morning, after a meeting of Israel's security cabinet that lasted several hours in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement approving a plan to take control of Gaza City.

The security cabinet adopted the plans by majority vote and included "five principles for ending the war", the statement says.

"The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," it says, detailing the following "principles for ending the war":

1. Disarmament of Hamas
2. Return of all hostages - both living and dead
3. Demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip
4. Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip
5. The existence of an alternative civilian government that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority

"An absolute majority of cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented to the cabinet would not achieve the defeat of Hamas or the return of the abductees," the statement concludes.

Yvette Tan
Live editor

Image source, Getty Images

It's around 08:30 in Jerusalem and 06:30 in London. Overnight, we have been keeping track of developments in Israel, where the country's security cabinet has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza City.

If you're just joining us now, here's what you need to know:

• Israel's security cabinet approved the takeover of Gaza City by a majority vote

• It marks an escalation of the almost two-year war and would likely be the first phase of a full takeover of Gaza by the military, our Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega says

• Netanyahu had earlier said he wanted to take over all of the Gaza Strip but the approved plan focuses specifically on Gaza City, the largest city in the enclave
• The plan has raised warnings from the army leadership, opposition from hostage families and concerns that more Palestinians will be killed. It also risks isolating Israel even further internationally

• The UN has previously warned that Israel expanding military operations risks "catastrophic consequences" for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages

Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, Getty Images

The takeover of Gaza City approved by the Israeli security cabinet is likely to be the first phase of a full takeover of Gaza by the military, as Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu says this is his intention.

His plans have faced strong opposition from the military leadership, with the army’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, warning him of a “trap”.

The families of the hostages say an expansion of the offensive, which is likely to last months, will put the 20 captives believed to be alive at risk. There have also been warnings that a push will kill even more Palestinians and worsen the humanitarian crisis in the territory.

Polls suggest most of the Israeli public favour a deal with Hamas for the release of the hostages and the end of the war. Israeli leaders say Hamas, for now, is not interested in negotiating as, in their view, the group is feeling emboldened by the international pressure on Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

There has been some speculation that the threat of full occupation could be part of a strategy to put pressure on Hamas to make concessions in stalled talks.

Throughout the war, Netanyahu has been accused of prolonging the conflict to guarantee the survival of his coalition, which relies on the support of ultranationalist ministers who have threatened to quit the government if there is any deal with Hamas.

In an interview shortly before the cabinet’s meeting, Netanyahu said that Israel planned to hand over the control of Gaza to “Arab forces”, although he did not give details about possible arrangements or which countries could be involved. Still, this was a rare indication of what he might be envisioning for a post-war Gaza.

Image source, Getty Images

We're getting more international reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to take control of Gaza City.

Penny Wong, Australia's foreign affairs minister, has released a statement saying "Australia calls on Israel to not go down this path, which will only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza."

She said permanent forced displacement was a violation of international law and repeated calls for a ceasefire, aid to flow unimpeded and for militant group Hamas to return the hostages taken in October 2023.

"A two-state solution is the only pathway to secure an enduring peace — a Palestinian state and the State of Israel, living side-by-side in peace and security within internationally-recognised borders," she added.

Australia's Environment Minister Murray Watt had earlier also voiced his criticism, saying the government "strongly opposed the forced occupation of Gaza".

Image source, Teguh Prihatna/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Indonesia will treat 2000 wounded Gazans on an uninhabited island, a spokesperson for the country's president has said. Details on how they will reach Indonesia have not been disclosed.

A medical facility will be established on Galang Island, to the south of Singapore, in an effort coordinated by the country's defence and foreign ministries. The UN previously hosted Vietnamese refugees on the island and a hospital was set up there during the pandemic to treat Covid patients.

"This is not an evacuation. It is for treatment purposes only. After they recover and complete their care, they will return to Gaza," the spokesperson added.

This isn't the first time the country has been involved in discussions around the conflict. Its President Prabowo Subianto had earlier in April said Indonesia was open to sheltering around 1000 Gazans.

Doron Kempel, former deputy commander of IDF special operations unit Sayeret Matkal, explained to the BBC's Newsday earlier about what expanding military operations in Gaza could look like.

He said that Israel's military would want their own forces to suffer as few casualties as possible, which could mean moving slowly through the territory, and that they would likely ask civilians to leave the area in order to hurt as few people as possible.

"I think this move is bad news in the short term for everybody in the field… IDF combatants, hostages, Palestinians and Hamas," he said.

"Everybody is going to be in this meat grinder, and it’s going to be terribly tragic for everyone involved in the short term."

As we reported earlier, the families of hostages have condemned plans to take over Gaza City as they say it will put the lives of their loved ones at risk.

There are 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

The hostages are among the 251 people who were taken during a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, where about 1,200 people were killed.

About a week ago, Hamas released video of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who was abducted from the Nova music festival. The video showed him in an emaciated state, with his brother saying he was a "human skeleton".

Families and supporters of the hostages have long called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the return of all remaining hostages.

Speaking on the BBC News channel, BBC Arabic's Mohamed Taha says that removing Hamas as the ruling authority in Gaza would be a very difficult task.

He says that Israeli army's chief of staff has estimated that it would be two years before they'd be able to remove Hamas entirely.

Israel's plans to take over Gaza City has drawn strong condemnation from the families of hostages still being held in the territory.

Earlier, families and supporters of the hostages protested in Tel Aviv and outside Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem as the security cabinet discussed the plans.

Some demonstrators chained themselves to each other and warned the move would be a "death sentence" of their loved ones.

The families continue to demand an immediate end to the war and for the return of all remaining hostages in Gaza.

How the IDF manages military control of Gazapublished at 04:29 British Summer Time 8 August

04:29 BST 8 August

By Paul Brown

Image source, Getty Images

A senior United Nations official had earlier expressed serious concerns about Israel expanding its military operations in Gaza, in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's push to occupy the entire territory.

"This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza," assistant secretary general Miroslav Jenča had said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

Israel already asserts military control over the vast majority of the Strip, with the UN estimating that 87% of Gaza is either a designated military zone, or subject to evacuation notices.

After the breakdown of the ceasefire in March, Israel declared all border areas to be "dangerous combat zones" which have gradually expanded over the months that followed.

The IDF also periodically issues evacuation notices for certain areas, although it is not always made clear when these are rescinded.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

The Israeli security cabinet has approved plans for the military to take over Gaza City, a controversial escalation in the nearly two-year war.

The prime minister’s office says the military will take control of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live.

The escalation, defended by Benjamin Netanyahu, faces opposition in Israel, including from the families of the hostages who say their lives will be at risk.

There is also concern that more Palestinian civilians will be killed. The move is likely to further isolate Israel, amid international anger over the situation in Gaza.

The security cabinet also adopted the five principles for ending the war, which include the existence of an alternative civilian government that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

Earlier Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Fox News about his plans.

"We intend to, in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance - that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel", he said.

"We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas," he continued. But Netanyahu also says Israel does "not want to keep it".

"We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body," he added.

Netanyahu's office has released a statement detailing the approved plans to occupy Gaza City and "five principles for ending the war," which it says the cabinet adopted by majority vote.

"The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," it says, detailing the following principles for "ending the war":

1. Disarmament of Hamas.
2. Return of all hostages - both living and dead.
3. Demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
4. Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip.
5. The existence of an alternative civilian government that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

"An absolute majority of Cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented to the Cabinet would not achieve the defeat of Hamas or the return of the abductees," the statement concludes.

After a meeting of Israel's security cabinet in Jerusalem carried on into the early hours of Friday, we have just heard that it has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City.

Stay with us as we bring you more information.

Imogen James
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

The result of talks within Israel's security cabinet are yet to emerge, as it considers whether to back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposals on the occupation of Gaza.

They have been meeting in Jerusalem for several hours now, and there's no sign of the finish line.

Netanyahu told Fox News earlier that Israel intends to remove Hamas and take control of the whole of Gaza. Though Israel doesn't want to govern it, he added.

In response, Hamas said Netanyahu is trying to serve his personal interests, and would "sacrifice" the hostages.

Outside the cabinet meeting, the families of hostages and other protesters gathered and remain in the night, calling for the return of their loved ones. Some have chained themselves to each other.

They are concerned the plans put the hostages lives at risk, and instead want a negotiated deal, our Middle East correspondent writes.

While discussions continue, so does the war.

In Gaza today, the Hamas-run health ministry reported that 61,258 people had been killed in Israeli attacks since the conflict began on 7 October 2023.

Fresh evacuation orders were issued by the Israeli military, which now controls 75% of Gaza, telling people to leave certain parts of Gaza City and head south.

For now, we will be pausing our live coverage, as we wait to hear more about the high-level meeting.

Until then, you can read the full story in our article, as warnings mount against Netanyahu's plan.

Francesca Albanese, the UN's Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, says Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement over his plans to take control of the whole of Gaza is "as shocking as the war that has preceded it".

"This speaks to the desperation of the Israeli PM," she said in an interview with the BBC News Channel, adding that Netanyahu "resorts to continuous violations of international law".

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) - the UN's top court - has previously ruled that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is against international law. Israel denies any violations.

"It's hard to imagine how much harm he [Netanyahu] can do because they [Gazans] are beyond the brink of collapse," Albanese says.

"We have seen the complete failure of humanitarian protection, which demands that civilians are spared from the consequences of war."

Image source, Reuters

"It's like there's nothing left to occupy in the first place," Palestinian Mahmoud al-Qurashli tells Reuters news agency from Gaza City.

Reacting to Netanyahu's plans for full control of the region, he says: "Practically all of Gaza has been squeezed into the western part of Gaza City, and that’s all that’s left. At this point, for the people, there’s no difference anymore - whether he occupies it or not."

Raed Abu Mohammed says that they have been living in tents for five months, and they have begun to settle a bit: "Yes, there’s suffering, yes, there’s death - yes. But we’re still clinging to life, clinging to life. Israel isn’t killing Hamas. Israel is killing civilians, children, women."

"There are no means of survival, no signs of life," Ismail al-Shawish says.

He says the basic necessities don't exist, and things in Gaza are "going from bad to worse".

He wants a ceasefire, not occupation, for "peace and safety".

Image source, Getty Images

The UK's former national security adviser tells the BBC that Benjamin Netanyahu may feel it's "now or never" to change the security situation in the Middle East.

Speaking on Radio 4's PM programme Mark Lyall Grant says it's a "huge military and political gamble" for Netanyahu - referring to the risk posed to Israeli soldiers and the living hostages - as he adds that it's not realistic to think Arab forces will want to govern the territory after an Israeli takeover.

Earlier, Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel wants to hand Gaza to "Arab forces that will govern it properly".

Asked about whether the plan abides by international law, Lyall Grant says: "I think it's fair to say Israel has already been in violation of international law over the last 22 months in terms of the collective punishment, restrictions on humanitarian aid - arguably using food as a weapon - but obviously the forcible removing of or relocation of civilians is in itself against international law.

"If you are moving one million people semi-permanently from northern Gaza into the south, that is in violation of international law. There's no question about that."