LONDON and TEL AVIV -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with his security cabinet on Thursday, an Israeli official said, as he considers plans to occupy the Gaza Strip despite international condemnation of the deteriorating humanitarian situation there.

The military leadership has said it prefers a new cease-fire instead of renewed fighting, and the military’s chief of staff previously raised concerns about troop exhaustion.

The Israeli Security Cabinet on Thursday proceeded with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully occupy Gaza City. The decision marks a significant escalation in Israel’s war with Hamas and could give way to the Israeli military’s possible occupation of the entire Gaza Strip,