The decision on the full occupation of the Gaza Strip should be made by Israel, said US President Donald Trump.
"That largely depends on Israel", Trump said in response to a journalist's question whether he supports the relevant plans of the Israeli authorities, AFP reported.
Trump noted that he sees his own task in feeding the population of the enclave, "which is clearly experiencing hardship and hunger".
According to the US president, "Israel will help us with this in terms of distribution and also with money". The American leader added that "Arab countries will also help us in this".
The Times of Israel recalls that Trump previously said that the US would establish new food distribution centers in Gaza, and the White House has repeatedly said that it would present a new plan for distributing aid to Gaza, "but it has not yet been implemented".
The media reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a meeting on Tuesday with senior security officials, expressed support for the military to take control of the entire enclave, "even if it means that the remaining hostages may suffer or be executed by Hamas".
According to numerous media reports, the purpose of the meeting was to finalize a plan that will be presented at an expanded cabinet meeting later this week.
In a brief statement by The Prime Minister's Office says: "The Israel Defense Forces is ready to implement any decision made by the Security Cabinet".