After Israel's security cabinet OK'd Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to control Gaza, he said military will "free Gaza from Hamas" and not occupy it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Israel's goal is not to take over Gaza, but to free Gaza from Hamas and enable a peaceful government to be established there,

But after defeating Hezbollah in Lebanon, helping to bring about the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and delivering a devastating set of blows against its arch enemy Iran, Israel has confirmed its status as a regional superpower, capable of taking on and defeating multiple enemies.