Despite army opposition: Netanyahu to push ahead with plan for full occupation of Gaza
фото: Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to seek a full occupation of the Gaza Strip and is already seeking government support for the plan. The military command, some ministers, and the intelligence services are against it.
This is reported by The Times of Israel, Reuters and UN representatives.
Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed in closed meetings that the course is agreed upon — Israel must establish full control over Gaza. The prime minister insists that the campaign will be expanded, even if this contradicts the position of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which opposes such a scenario.
The prime minister’s entourage says that the decision has already been made: “The draw has been made. We are moving towards full occupation,” sources are quoted as saying.
According to Israeli media, a recent security meeting discussed possible military scenarios proposed by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. However, some in the army leadership warn that a complete cleanup of Hamas’ infrastructure could take years and endanger the lives of Israeli hostages.
Some government and service representatives also spoke out against it. Among them are Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Mossad head David Barnea, representatives of the Shin Bet internal security service, as well as a number of advisers and generals.
It is currently unknown whether this is about maintaining control over Gaza for a long time or a short-term operation to destroy Hamas and free the hostages.
The UN has already reacted: it called Israel’s plans to expand operations in the sector “deeply disturbing.” It stressed that such a scenario could lead to catastrophic consequences for the civilian population.
On August 2, US Special Representative Steve Witkoff said that US President Donald Trump is seeking a comprehensive agreement – without “partial solutions” and with the full return of hostages.
Recall, in early July, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel had agreed to the terms of a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. According to him, US representatives had held “long and constructive” negotiations with the Israeli side.
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