Gaza occupation, clash between Netanyahu and the army

Challenged from outside and now also from within his own government, Benjamin Netanyahu 's "reign" is wavering. The Israeli prime minister was planning an offensive to completely occupy Gaza, but there were reportedly disagreements within the government, the Guardian and Haaretz reveal. A meeting of the Israeli security cabinet, which was supposed to discuss Benjamin Netanyahu's call for the "full occupation" of Gaza, was scheduled for yesterday but was postponed due to growing tensions over the plan's feasibility. Senior Israeli military officers and former high-ranking commanders also warned that the plan would endanger the lives of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and that the operation would risk further international isolation for Israel and force Israeli soldiers to manage a population still populated by Hamas fighters.

From internal rebellion to street revolt

The parents of Israeli hostages held by Hamas oppose Netanyahu's announced occupation of the Gaza Strip . For them, this move, proposed in the name of the hostages' safety and security, actually represents a mortal danger to their loved ones. "A move to occupy Gaza would endanger my son Nimrod," Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, told Ynet. In his opinion, occupying Gaza is " a terrible, murderous act. We've been seeing all the stories of an 'alleged' threat to Hamas for two years," Cohen denounced, adding that he and his family " feel helpless. My wife Vicki was in the Knesset yesterday. MK Amit Levy told her that if we move toward a comprehensive agreement, they will be killed. These are people who would kill their own mother to remain in Netanyahu's circle; they are Likud people ." Yael Adar, mother of the fallen soldier Tamir Adar, said in an interview with Ynet that " she hopes the claims about the occupation of Gaza are just talk. If we were to actually occupy Gaza, I would feel really bad; I would think it was a sacrifice of the hostages." She said, "If they don't intend to bring them back soon, they must come to their families and tell us very clearly that, despite Gal Hirsch's messages, we are in the dark. " Adar added that " as a resident of Gaza's border communities, my personal safety will only exist when Tamir is here."

IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, opposes the prime minister's push to occupy Gaza . The news, which headlined all Israeli newspapers, was widely commented on by the political class, fueling heated debate and controversy. This began with Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister's son, who stated that Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on General Zamir's appointment as head of the defense forces. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, however, stated that disputes between the prime minister and the IDF Chief of Staff should remain behind closed doors. "I also had discussions with the IDF Chief of Staff, as Foreign Minister and as Prime Minister. Some were not easy. “Only one thing is clear to us: they must remain behind closed doors,” Lapid wrote on X. “IDF soldiers must not think that a divided and conflicted leadership is guiding them, that the political class does not respect their commander, that it is selling them out for a title,” he continued. Lapid also claims that there is an “operational price” for leaking information about the discussions, accusing the IDF Chief of Staff of refraining from saying everything he thinks if he knows it will reach the press.

Also contributing to the controversy was Yossi Yehoshua , military correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth , who wrote that " if Netanyahu is truly interested in making the truly dramatic and divisive decision for Israeli public opinion – the occupation of Gaza City and the central refugee camps – he must come forward to the people, clarify the expected price for the lives of the hostages and soldiers who will fall, and declare that he will take full responsibility, despite the opposition of the Israel Defense Forces." Yair Netanyahu 's response was immediate, with a harsh retort to the journalist: "If the person who dictated that tweet to you is who we think, this is a rebellion and an attempted military coup worthy of a banana republic in Central America during the 1970s. This is completely criminal," apparently claiming that Zamir himself had dictated the journalist's posts. The prime minister, previously accused of promoting conspiracy theories, reportedly told ministers this week that he would seek government support for a plan to completely occupy the Gaza Strip, while Zamir opposed the initiative. Nearly all defense ministers and military chiefs who previously served under Netanyahu fell out with the prime minister after their tenures. The Israeli prime minister labeled them leftists, and they later became staunch critics of his leadership.

But "Bibi" does not give up

"It is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, free all our hostages, and ensure that the Strip no longer poses a threat to Israel. We will not give up any of these objectives." This was stated by the Israeli Prime Minister during a visit to the Tel HaShomer recruitment and selection base, meeting with new soldiers. For Netanyahu, the future still present includes the " military governorate " of Gaza, dotted with settlements. Meanwhile, at least 25 Palestinians died yesterday morning in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Qatari pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera reported this, citing hospital sources in the Palestinian enclave administered by the Islamist group Hamas. Among them, 14 people were reportedly killed while waiting for humanitarian aid. Nearly 1,400 people were killed and more than 4,000 injured while searching for food. At least 859 people have died near GHF sites since its operations began at the end of May 2025. And the slaughter continues.

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Umberto De Giovannangeli