Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel intends to take full control of the Gaza Strip. “We are engaged in massive fighting and we are making progress. We intend to take over all areas in Gaza. We will do it,” Netanyahu stated in a video posted on X.
The announcement followed the launch of a major ground operation in Gaza on Sunday. As of Monday, May 19th, at least 52 people have been reported killed in the strikes, with numerous others injured, according to Gaza rescue workers.
Evacuation orders were issued by the Israeli army on Monday for Khan Yunis—Gaza’s second-largest city—as well as for two additional towns in the southern part of the Strip. The army had already declared two weeks prior that its aim was to capture all of Gaza.
In a separate statement, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the entire population of Gaza should be forcibly relocated to third countries. Smotrich has long advocated for encouraging Palestinians to “voluntarily move,” but his latest remarks go significantly further. His comments follow recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, who in February suggested that the U.S. could take over Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere.
