Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Thursday that Israel does not intend to govern Gaza permanently after successfully taking full control of the enclave.

He made the remarks following reports earlier this week that Israel is preparing to take over Gaza.

“We intend to, in order to assure 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,” Netanyahu told Fox News when asked if Israel would occupy all of Gaza.

He emphasized that Israel aims to establish a security perimeter, then transfer control to Arab forces. 

“We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us, and giving Gazans a good life.”

Netanyahu’s remarks came ahead of a Security Cabinet meeting Thursday evening, where he was expected to seek approval for a phased military campaign to occupy major areas of Gaza. The plan’s stated goal is to dismantle remaining Hamas infrastructure and pressure the group to release approximately 50 hostages, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

The proposal proceeds despite reports of objections from some of Netanyahu’s top military advisers. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement Thursday, with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir emphasizing the importance of a “culture of debate” within the IDF.

“We will continue to express our position fearlessly, in a factual, independent, and professional manner,” the IDF said. “We will continue to act with responsibility, integrity, and determination—with only the good of the state and its security before our eyes.” 

At least two U.S. officials told Axios that President Donald Trump will not oppose the Israeli operation.