A war cabinet meeting held Tuesday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials ended after roughly three hours, with the Prime Minister’s Office issuing a statement saying IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had presented options for the next stage of the Gaza campaign — and that “the IDF is prepared to carry out any decision made by the security cabinet.”
Zamir outlined several operational possibilities and voiced opposition to a full takeover of the Gaza Strip. However, amid tensions with Netanyahu, he made clear he would execute any directive from the political leadership. Meeting with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz before the discussion, Zamir also stressed he had not threatened to resign.
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(Photo: Shalev Shalom, Dana Kopel, IDF, Reuters/ Ronen Zvulun, Ahmad Hasaballah /Getty Images)
The Prime Minister’s Office statement was aimed at projecting a clear public message: even if the IDF has thus far opposed such a move, Zamir is now “aligned” with Netanyahu and will carry out cabinet orders. Behind the scenes, however, associates of Netanyahu and figures within Likud are described as ramping up pressure to undermine Zamir’s public legitimacy. Netanyahu’s son Yair and pro-government media have pushed messages portraying Zamir as part of the “conception generation,” despite Netanyahu having appointed him.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, the proposal to occupy Gaza is set to be brought before the full cabinet on Thursday evening. Netanyahu will face the challenge of explaining to the public why he is moving against previous professional recommendations, especially concerning the risks to hostages and strain on reserve forces. The move could be framed around the recent videos of hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, presented as a last effort to bring them home amid Hamas’ refusal to strike a deal.
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During the discussion, Zamir repeated his warnings about the dangers of a Gaza takeover, notably to the hostages and to the endurance of IDF forces. The military presented two operational plans: one for occupation, the other for encirclement, with Zamir favoring the latter. Netanyahu argued the current approach has failed to secure hostage releases and believes a takeover would significantly improve the chances.
Sources present said Netanyahu appeared determined to push ahead. Katz supported decisive military action in Gaza, citing Hamas’ refusal to negotiate, and called for protecting hostages by evacuating civilians and destroying terror infrastructure.
On Monday, reports said Netanyahu had received a green light from U.S. President Donald Trump for a forceful move in Gaza, aligning himself with the demands of ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Prime Minister’s Office now argues there is no realistic hostage deal on the table and that Israel lacks the time for a prolonged encirclement strategy, as hostages could die of starvation. Officials also say Hamas will not agree to conditions such as demilitarization, disarmament and exile, meaning it would retain control of Gaza without releasing all captives.
Still, a full occupation would inevitably require Israel to enter sensitive areas where hostages are likely being held, particularly in the central refugee camps and Gaza City.