Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting of the Security Cabinet with the intention of “going for the total occupation of the Gaza Strip,” as reported by a senior official in a meeting with the Israeli press.
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The Cabinet intends to adopt an “updated strategy” for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), according to senior government officials.
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Why does Netanyahu want to completely occupy Gaza?
During the meeting with the Israeli press, a senior official of Netanyahu assured: “The die is cast: we are going to fully occupy the Gaza Strip,” as reported by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
The Israeli news site Ynet also quoted top officials close to Netanyahu. However, the report from that newspaper speculates that this could also be part of a negotiation tactic to pressure Hamas amid the deadlock in talks about a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Netanyahu, who visited a military base of the Army located on the outskirts of the city of Tel Aviv on Tuesday, once again insisted on achieving the objectives of the offensive, which include “defeating the enemy” in the enclave, freeing the hostages, and ensuring that “Gaza is never again a threat to Israel.”
“We have not given up on any of these goals. We will achieve them together through the great sacrifice of our fighting men and women,” emphasized the Israeli Prime Minister, according to a statement released by his office.
According to Israeli estimates, Hamas currently holds 50 hostages, of which it is believed that 20 are alive.
The Israeli Armed Forces would be against the occupation
In the last hours, tension has grown within the cabinet and the military leadership regarding the possibility of occupying Gaza, a measure rejected by the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, due to the situation of the hostages.
According to The Times of Israel, the military’s opposition stems from concerns that Palestinian militias in Gaza may execute hostages as troops advance, as happened in late August 2024 with six captives.
In any case, the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, stated on Tuesday that the military leadership “will comply” with the decision made by the Prime Minister’s cabinet regarding the future of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. “My role as Defense Minister in charge of the Israel Defense Forces is to ensure that this is the case, and I will do so,” he commented during a visit to the buffer zone in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s eldest son, Yair, went even further and from Miami, where he lives, criticized the Chief of Staff in a series of posts on X, implying that the IDF chief was trying to lead a military rebellion against his father.