The Israeli cabinet agreed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military plan, but the quandary of who will eventually govern Gaza remains intractable.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Israel's goal is not to take over Gaza, but to free Gaza from Hamas and enable a peaceful government to be established there,

Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City and hand control of the enclave to “Arab forces” has drawn condemnation by Western governments and former officials.

Follow live coverage as Israel’s security cabinet approves a plan to occupy Gaza City in Netanyahu’s latest Israel-Hamas war escalation.

Israel’s security cabinet has voted to expand the war in Gaza, marking a major escalation at a time when it is under intense domestic and international pressure to end the conflict.