Israel says it will take over Gaza City, escalating its war with Hamas even as it faces growing domestic and international outrage over the 22-month conflict.

The Israeli military "will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement early Friday after a Cabinet meeting that ran late into the night.

While Israeli officials announced that Israeli forces would take Gaza City, the largest in the enclave, they appear to be casting a wider net. The plan envisions the disarming of Hamas, which has run the enclave since 2007, the return of all the hostages, and the demilitarization of the entire Gaza Strip and Israeli control of it.

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