Israel's Final Plan to Take Gaza, Free Hostages, End Hamas - CBN NewsWatch - August 8, 2025

JERUSALEM, Israel – The war between Israel and Hamas is intensifying as a new plan to take over the Gaza Strip moves into action.

The plan, approved Thursday night, is aimed at destroying what remains of the Hamas terror group and pressuring it to free the 20 living hostages it is still holding, along with the bodies of 30 others.

The Israel Defense Forces warn that this could put the lives of Israeli hostages still in captivity at risk.

With the Security Cabinet's approval for the military takeover, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that the war plan calls for the full control of the Gaza Strip.

"We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas," Netanyahu stated.

The phased plan includes disarming Hamas and the other terror groups, returning all hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, and creating a civilian government that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.