The Israeli prime minister said control of Palestinian territory would be transferred to friendly Arab forces after Hamas is vanquished.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has described the Security Cabinet's decision to capture the city of Gaza as a "catastrophe" that "will lead to many more catastrophes. " He wrote on the platform X on Friday that the planned conquest of the largest city in the Gaza Strip would lead to the death of the hostages as well as the killing of many Israeli soldiers.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement cited by AP that the cabinet backed the occupation attempt.