On Tuesday afternoon, a brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office summarized the outcome of the restricted meeting convened to discuss plans for the continuation of the military offensive in Gaza: "The IDF is ready to implement whatever decision is made by the Political-Military Security Cabinet." Shortly thereafter, Israeli media reported that the prime minister intends to submit to the cabinet, likely at 6:00 PM Thursday, the proposal to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.
The prime minister's order "is to conquer the central camps of the Strip and Gaza City," namely the very areas where military intelligence believes the hostages are being held, of whom only 20 out of 50 are still alive. The army has so far avoided these areas to avoid further endangering the lives of the kidnapped. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Ynet reports, "exposed several alternatives and spoke out against the option of total conquest of the Strip, but made it clear, against the backdrop of the clash with Netanyahu, that he will carry out any decision made by the political leadership." During the preliminary meeting with the prime minister, Zamir clarified that "he did not threaten to resign." Now, the prime minister will have to explain to the public why he is acting contrary to the IDF's assessments. His message to Israel, analysts say, could be based on the shocking videos of the kidnapped Rom Breslavsky and Evyatar David, left skin and bones.
An urgent special session on the issue was held at the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday evening, with Minister Gideon Sa'ar speaking, and David's brother speaking remotely. This morning, the ongoing institutional conflict, even within the government itself, was captured in an exchange of posts between two "strong" cabinet ministers. "The Chief of Staff is required to declare that he will respect the directives of the political level, even if the decision is made to proceed with the conquest of Gaza," wrote settler minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X, pressuring the prime minister to fully capture Gaza. Shortly thereafter, Gideon Sa'ar, who favored an agreement with Hamas and opposed continuing the war, responded: "The IDF chief is required to express his opinion to the political class. He is not required to submit to the government's decisions."
For his part, the IDF chief preferred facts to words: late Monday evening, he lifted the state of war emergency in effect since October 7, which included the mandatory extension of reserve service for regular conscripts for another four months. On the ground, this translates into several fewer battalions and the acknowledgement that Operation Gideon's Chariots is over and the soldiers must rest. Meanwhile, several sources report that the restricted three-hour meeting, attended only by the prime minister, the IDF chief, and ministers Israel Katz (Defense) and Ron Dermer (Bibi's advisor and chief negotiator), ended "with differences of opinion between the political side and the army chief."
(Unioneonline)
