Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called the security cabinet's decision to seize Gaza City a "disaster" that "will lead to many more disasters," DPA reported, BTA reported.
He wrote today on the "Ex" platform that the planned takeover of the largest city in the Gaza Strip would lead to the deaths of the hostages, as well as the killing of many Israeli soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pushed into the decision by his far-right coalition partners Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, against the objections of the military leadership, commented Lapid.
The two far-right ministers are supporters of the idea of completely seizing the Gaza Strip and expelling the approximately 2 million Palestinians living there, DPA notes.
Early this morning, the Israeli security cabinet approved a plan to seize Gaza City.
Before the meeting began, Netanyahu told the American television station "Fox News" that Israel wants to take control of the entire Gaza Strip, but not to occupy it permanently. The Palestinian territory must be liberated from the Islamist organization "Hamas" in order to eventually hand it over to other forces, Netanyahu added.