Israeli security cabinet approves takeover of Gaza City and agrees to "five principles" of truce

On August 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that the security cabinet has approved the plan for the Israel Defense Forces to take over Gaza City. Gaza City is located in the northern part of Gaza and is currently inhabited by about 800,000 people. Israel will provide humanitarian assistance to civilians outside the war zone, the prime minister's office said in a statement, adding that the cabinet decided to support Netanyahu's "proposal to defeat Hamas." The prime minister's office said that most cabinet members also support five principles proposed by Israel in exchange for ending the war with Hamas, which are as follows: 1. Hamas disarms; 2. All the remaining 50 hostages are released, 20 of whom are believed to be alive; 3. Demilitarization of the Gaza Strip; 4. Israel's security control of the Gaza Strip; 5. The establishment of an alternative civilian government, which cannot be Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. It is not clear why the statement only refers to control of Gaza City, rather than Netanyahu's plan to occupy the entire Gaza Strip announced Thursday.