Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza, despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating almost two-year-old war in the Palestinian enclave.

But Israel does not want to “keep” or “govern it,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss expanding military operations in the territory.

Mass protests have erupted across Israel as the country security cabinet was meeting to decide on a full reoccupation of Gaza, move that would mark a major escalation of the war.