The plan announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stops short of the full occupation of the Gaza Strip that he had discussed earlier.

Israel says it plans to take over Gaza City in another escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas. The decision, made after a late-night meeting of top officials, drew Palestinian rejection and fueled mounting international calls to end the war.

Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in a controversial escalation of its war in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in the city in the north of the Gaza Strip. It was the enclave's most populous city before the war.