The Israel Defense Forces’ top commander is pushing back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for full military control of the Gaza Strip.
During a tense, three-hour meeting Tuesday night, IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir warned the premier that occupying Gaza would only threaten the lives of the remaining hostages and his soldiers, three Israeli officials briefed on the meeting told Reuters.
Despite pushback from current and former Israeli security officials, Netanyahu has maintained that military pressure is the only way to free the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza and finish Hamas off for good.
The Jewish state currently controls about 75% of the Gaza Strip, with Netanyahu preparing to order the IDF to launch a full-scale invasion of the remaining territory to pressure Hamas to accept a cease-fire, according to Israeli media.
The call was made without Zamir’s input, with the Jerusalem Post reporting that an internal memo was sent out Monday calling on the chief of staff to fall in line or resign.
The IDF had previously rejected a takeover plan, warning Israeli leadership that a full occupation of Gaza — requiring a military presence in crowded civilian areas and the few cities spared from the fighting — would lead to years of sifting through the population to smoke out Hamas’ remaining cells.
The hostages, no more than 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, are thought to be held in the few areas of Gaza untouched by the conflict, including the city of Deir al-Balah.
Families of the captives fear any military action would put their loved ones in grave danger after Hamas reportedly put out an order to execute the hostages if Israeli soldiers are spotted nearby.
Zamir’s opposition has been echoed by 19 former top Israeli military, intelligence and police officials, who also objected to the plan and accused Netanyahu of trying to appease members of his far-right coalition, some of whom had threatened to topple the government if the war doesn’t escalate.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday, warning the premier that he would face severe backlash at home if a full military takeover of Gaza goes ahead.
Israel has also faced condemnation abroad over the plan, with the United Nations calling the takeover prospect “deeply alarming.”
Netanyahu’s push for full military pressure came after Hamas published videos last week of two emaciated hostages suffering inside the terror group’s vast, underground tunnel network.
The haunting images renewed calls to end the war, which was started by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
