TEL AVIV, May 19. /TASS/. Israel intends to establish military control over the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, commenting on the large-scale operation dubbed Gideon's Chariots that began in the enclave the day before.

He said the objectives of the operation remain unchanged – the defeat of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Israel, together with the United States, will soon deploy a network of distribution points to ensure access to humanitarian aid for Gazans and prevent its plundering by Hamas supporters, the prime minister said.

"This is part of Hamas destruction, alongside powerful military pressure, a massive ground invasion, and, essentially, establishing control over the whole of Gaza and depriving Hamas of the opportunity to plunder humanitarian aid. This is our military and victory plan," Netanyahu said in a video posted on his official Telegram channel.

He added that the Israeli army is currently conducting "huge, intensive and powerful operations there. We are going to establish control over the entire territory of the sector. That's what we're going to do."

On May 18, the Israeli army started hostilities in the northern and southern areas of the enclave as part of Gideon's Chariots. Five divisions have been deployed to carry out the operation.