Israeli security cabinet approves Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza City

The Israeli security cabinet has approved plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to occupy Gaza City, in an expansion of Israeli military operations that comes amid international condemnation of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

The decision, announced in a statement by the prime minister's office, came after a marathon meeting of the cabinet that lasted for some 10 hours, stretching into the early morning hours of Friday in Israel.

"The Security Cabinet has approved the Prime Minister's proposal for the defeat of Hamas," the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement. "The IDF will prepare for the takeover of Gaza City while ensuring the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones."

In the statement, the prime minister's office said the security cabinet by a majority vote adopted five principles for ending the war, including "Israel security control in the Gaza Strip."

The other principles include:

• Disarming Hamas
• Returning all the hostages, including the bodies of those who have died
• The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip; and
• Establishing an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority

The statement from the prime minister's office said a "decisive majority" of the ministers in the security cabinet believed that an unspecified alternative plan that was also considered "would achieve neither the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages."

Before the meeting, Netanyahu said in a Fox News interview on Thursday that Israel "intends to" take control of all of Gaza, but "we don't want to keep it or govern it," he said.

He added, "We don't want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That's not possible with Hamas."

Netanyahu said in the interview that he has not discussed Israel occupying all of Gaza with President Donald Trump.

"He understands that it's Israel who is going to do the fighting. It's not American soldiers," Netanyahu told Fox when asked if Trump has given him the green light to occupy all of Gaza.

"Well he just says, 'I know Israel is going to do what it's going to do,' and we haven't gotten into that kind of discussion," Netanyahu said.

Responding to Netanyahu's comments on Fox, Hamas said the prime minister's comments revealed the real reason Israel withdrew from the negotiations to reach a ceasefire deal.

"Netanyahu's statements represent a blatant reversal of the negotiation process and clearly expose the real motives behind his withdrawal from the latest round of talks, despite us nearing a final agreement," Hamas said in a statement.

"Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm, without any doubt, that he is seeking to dispose of his captives and sacrifice them in service of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda," Hamas continued.

The Hostage Families Forum called for the Israeli cabinet to return to negotiations and reach a deal that will bring the remaining hostages home.

"We are appealing to the cabinet -- the expansion of the fighting is a danger of death and immediate disappearance for our loved ones -- look us in the eye when you choose to sacrifice them," the Hostage Families Forum said in a statement.

Two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News earlier this week that Netanyahu had decided to propose that the IDF move forward with a plan to fully conquer and occupy the Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu held a three-hour limited security cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the matter was discussed, according to a readout from the prime minister's office.

"The IDF is prepared to implement any decision made by the Political-Security Cabinet," the readout said.

On Sunday, an Israeli official told ABC News that Netanyahu was pushing to expand the military operation in Gaza on the grounds that he felt Hamas is not interested in reaching a new deal under which surviving hostages could be released.

When asked about the possible expansion of the campaign in Gaza, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday, "Reporting is one thing. Real plans might be another. We are not in the business of interpreting statements from foreign governments when and if they're made."

"We do remain focused on freeing the hostages, including the remains of two Americans, and ensuring that Hamas never rules Gaza again," Bruce said.

ABC News' Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.