Tel Aviv, May 19 -- Israel will assume full control of the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday, marking a major escalation in the country's months-long campaign against Hamas and signalling what critics fear could be a long-term occupation of the battered Palestinian enclave.
In a video message posted on Telegram, Netanyahu stated: "We are going to take control of the entire territory of the enclave-that is what we are going to do." The remarks came as Israeli forces have intensified their efforts against the UN-designated-terror group in a new offensive - codenamed Gideon's Chariots, which is aimed at dismantling Hamas' remaining infrastructure and rescuing the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, reported Bloomber...