Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel has \u201cno choice\u201d but to escalate its offensive in Gaza as his country faces heightened criticism for its conduct amid the war in the territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven Hamas\u2019s refusal to lay down its arms, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas. Now, we’ve done a great deal. We have about 70 to 75 percent of Gaza under Israeli control, military control. But we have two remaining strongholds, OK? These are Gaza City and the Central Camps and Moasi. That’s roughly, schematically, presented here, but it’s fairly accurate,\u201d Netanyahu said at a press conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLast Thursday, Israel’s Cabinet, Israel\u2019s security Cabinet, instructed the IDF to dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the Central Camps,\u201d he added, referring to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). \u201cContrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu said Thursday the Israeli military intends<\/a> to take over Gaza and argued it was needed for his country\u2019s security. He said in an interview with Fox News the takeover of the territory was planned to \u201cassure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n On Friday, the Israeli government confirmed it would try to occupy<\/a> Gaza City, one of the last remaining areas in the territory that had not already been evacuated or transformed into an Israeli buffer zone.<\/p>\n