IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has voiced strong reservations over the government’s plan to capture Gaza City, warning Cabinet ministers that the move could force the army into administering the enclave, sources familiar with recent meetings said Monday.
Zamir, who has pressed for an alternative strategy of siege and targeted raids, told ministers that although he opposes the plan, the military “has carried out and will carry out the government’s orders with excellence,” according to senior officials present.
IDF forces operating in Gaza
(Video: IDF)
At a Cabinet meeting Sunday night, Zamir reportedly told ministers: “Rise and shine. You are the Cabinet of October 7. Why have IDF forces entered and withdrawn from Gaza for two years?” His comments reflected frustration at political indecision since Hamas’ assault nearly two years ago.
The government is preparing for its largest reserve call-up since the war began, ahead of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. Defense officials and Mossad chief David Barnea have favored pursuing a partial hostage deal instead of a full conquest, warning it could achieve war aims with less risk.
According to officials, Zamir presented ministers in early August with a side-by-side assessment: his proposal of siege and raids versus the prime minister’s preferred full invasion. He argued his plan would endanger fewer soldiers and hostages, require fewer troops, cause less humanitarian harm and preserve international legitimacy. Most ministers rejected it, saying it lacked a path to decisive victory.
Military sources fear a vacuum if Hamas is not broken in Gaza City. “The chief of staff fears military rule,” one official said. “He understands that if Gaza City does not collapse Hamas, forces will move into central camps and Israel will end up governing the population.”
Though the Cabinet approved the Gaza City plan weeks ago, it has not yet been launched. At Sunday’s meeting, Zamir warned: “Your plan leads us to military rule. Understand the meaning.” Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs disputed his claim, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir suggested encouraging “voluntary emigration” instead. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich brushed aside Zamiri’s concern: “We made a decision.”
Ben-Gvir also proposed an immediate vote on whether to back a phased hostage deal, asserting it lacked majority support. The deal under discussion would secure the release of 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others over 60 days, with talks on ending the war and freeing remaining captives, alongside a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued against the framework, citing what he called a limited “political clock” from Washington and warning that withdrawals from newly captured areas would come at a “heavy price.” He also echoed ministers who said such a deal would delay any full Gaza City offensive by not just two months, but six, since the army would need to redeploy before advancing again.