The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is considering the full occupation of the Gaza Strip as ceasefire negotiations reached a deadlock.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet on Tuesday to move forward with his plan to expand military operations in the enclave, including in areas where hostages are being held, despite the opposition of the Israeli military Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, and other cabinet officials.
Meanwhile, hundreds of retired Israeli security officials appealed to the US President, Donald Trump, to press Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s Plan
Several Israeli media outlets reported that Netanyahu talked about the “occupation of Gaza” in private conversations to describe his plan for expanding military operations in the Strip. Ynet news website quoted an Israeli official close to Netanyahu as saying: “The die is cast – we’re going for full conquest.”
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that the reports are accurate, adding that Netanyahu will convene the security cabinet on Tuesday to mobilize support for the “full conquest of the Strip.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said Monday that the plans to widen the military campaign reflected “a wish to see all the hostages come back, and the wish to see the end of this war after the talks for a partial deal were not successful.”
Military Opposition
The Israeli defense establishment reportedly opposes the Prime Minister’s plan to expand ground operations in areas where hostages are held, as this endangers their lives, the source told CNN.
On this matter, the official who spoke to Ynet reportedly said: “There will be operations even in areas where hostages are being held. If the chief of staff doesn’t agree, he should resign,” referring to Zamir, who opposes the occupation plan.
Currently, the Israeli military occupies over 75% of the Gaza Strip. The new plan will allow it to take control of the entire enclave. However, the military opposes the occupation plan as it will put hostages lives at risk and because the army assessments suggest that it could take years to clear all Hamas infrastructure, according to the Times of Israel.
Cabinet Divisions
The Gaza occupation plan has triggered division within the Israeli security cabinet, according to Channel 12, which said that Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, Israel Katz, remain undecided.
Meanwhile, the Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer; Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich; National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir; Military Secretary, Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman; and Cabinet Secretary, Yossi Fuchs, are all in favor of expanding military operations in Gaza.
On the other hand, Zamir; Sa’ar; Shas party leader, Aryeh Deri; National Security Adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi; and Mossad chief, David Barnea, are among those supporting resuming efforts to reach a deal that secures a ceasefire and hostage return.
Amid these divisions, Zamir canceled a short trip to the US on Monday because there was no ceasefire, and due to “the difficult situation of the hostage issue, and the great responsibility on his shoulders,” a military source told the Times of Israel.
Families Concerns
The reports about the full takeover of Gaza have sparked fear among the families of the hostages and soldiers. In the light of this, a group of mothers of Israeli soldiers criticized the reported plan as being “fatal for both hostages and soldiers.”
Moreover, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Sunday warned the Israeli government against expanding military operations in Gaza. “Netanyahu is preparing the greatest deception of all. The repeated claims of freeing hostages through military victory are a lie and a public fraud,” the forum said.
Israeli officials believe that Hamas is holding 50 hostages in Gaza, only 20 of whom are still alive. During a visit to Israel, the US Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with the families of hostages on Saturday. He was quoted by the forum as saying that the plan “is not to expand the war but to end it.”
He added: “We think the negotiations should be changed to all or nothing. End the war and bring all 50 hostages home at the same time – that’s the only way. We have a plan to end the war and bring everyone home.”
On Thursday and Saturday, Hamas released videos of two emaciated Israeli soldiers, Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David. The videos sparked outrage in Israel, which accused the Palestinian movement of starving hostages. Hamas said that the emaciated state of the hostages “reflected the worsening conditions in the Strip” and that the hostages “will not receive any special privileges amid the crime of starvation and siege.”
Seeking US Pressure
A large majority of Israelis support ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of the hostages, according to opinion polls. A recent survey by the Institute for National Security Studies showed that 40.5% believe that the Israeli military’s course of action in Gaza does not advance the war goals (the defeat of Hamas and the return of hostages), while 25.5% think it advances both goals.
On Monday, a group of around 600 retired Israeli security officials urged the US President, Donald Trump, to pressure Netanyahu to immediately end the war in Gaza. “It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” they said in an open letter cited by BBC.
“Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: End the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering,” they added.
The group included former Mossad chief, Tamir Pardo; former chief of Shin Bet, Ami Ayalon; former Prime Minister, Ehud Barak; and former Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon. They head the Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS) group.
“Stop the Gaza war!” they urged Trump. “You did it in Lebanon. Time to do it in Gaza as well,” they said.
