Israel is planning to take over of the entire Gaza strip, according to a report from The Jerusalem Post that cites a high-ranking government source.
The Post reported:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a decision for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, including operations in areas where hostages are held, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu held a high-level meeting that included Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir, and other top defense officials, The Post reported. The meeting lasted three hours, and tempers flared between Netanyahu and Zamir. Some sources claim the decision to fully occupy Gaza was made without input from Zamir, who was told to “to fall in line or resign.” Zamir’s trepidation about Netanyahu’s Gaza strategy has come up in multiple news reports since Israel’s response to the October 7 terrorist attack.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Netanyahu framed Israel’s next military move as one that prioritizes freeing the remaining hostages. Hamas is reported to have about 50 of the original 250 hostages taken, with about half still alive. Over the last few days, Hamas released videos of emaciated Israeli hostages along with demands for an “independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” according to reports.
Netanyahu has reportedly said, “We need to change the approach taken so far, only then will we be able to free the hostages.” Zamir, however, reportedly pushed back against the idea of fully occupying Gaza, warning it could “become a strategic trap” and saying it poses no favors for the hostages. “This proposal endangers the hostages, but the IDF is preparing to implement the decision immediately once it is made,” Zamir reportedly said.
As for the hostage negotiations, the Post learned from a source that “there are internal disagreements within Hamas over the current proposal on the table, which involves the release of 10 hostages in exchange for a two-month ceasefire.” To make matters worse for the hostages, Hamas officials have reduced their contact with mediators. As per the Post:
In recent days, most senior Hamas officials have left Qatar for Turkey and have reduced their contact with Qatari mediators. A diplomatic source told the Post that “the door has never been closed to a potential deal, but at the moment, such a deal does not seem realistic.”
While Israeli leadership projects its intention to completely take over Gaza now, past reports suggest the decision was made many months ago. In May, The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF was going to expand “control of the entire [Gaza] territory.” The reason cited then was to prevent Hamas “from looting humanitarian aid.” Netanyahu then said, “We cannot reach a situation of famine, neither professionally nor diplomatically.”
Since Netanyahu made those comments, Israel has faced scrutiny over such claims as well as the fact that the people of Gaza are starving. Among the most notable advocates of that narrative has been President Donald Trump, who recently said there is “real starvation” happening in Gaza.
On Friday, Trump sent U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to tour Gaza, evaluate what is happening, and help address the crisis. The issue has a direct tie to American interests. The organization in charge of humanitarian aide in Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is led by Americans and funded to the tune of $30 million by U.S. taxpayers.