Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel intends to take control of all of the Gaza Strip, ahead of a key meeting where ministers are now deciding whether to back such a move.

Axar.az reports, citing BBC, that Netanyahu affirmed the intention in an interview with Fox News.

Hamas responded by warning that the plan meant Netanyahu was willing to "sacrifice" the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza to serve "his personal interests".

The UN has warned that a complete military takeover would risk "catastrophic consequences" for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages. The UK's ambassador to Israel has said it would be "a huge mistake".

The Israeli military currently controls about three-quarters of Gaza. The vast majority of Gaza's population has already been displaced by the war and many more would be uprooted if the army takes over remaining areas.

"We intend to," Netanyahu replied, "in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza [Hamas], and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and is not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel."

According to Israeli media, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers would need to be sent to Gaza to carry out a takeover.