BIG setback to Netanyahu’s Gaza plan as Israel army chief opposes…; Israeli military leaders warn IDF could be trapped in Gaza if…
Israel-Hamas war: Amid mounting global pressure to halt the brutal Israeli military operation in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu is now facing pushback at home as well as IDF chief Eyal Zamir opposed the Israeli Prime Minister’s new plan to occupy parts of the war-torn Strip which are not already under the control of Israel.
Why IDF chief opposes Netanyahu’s Gaza occupation plan?
A Reuters report, citing Israeli officials familiar with the matter, said that the Israeli military leadership, including Army Chief Eyal Zamir, do not agree with Netanyahu’s Gaza occupation plan. The disagreement between Israel’s political and military leadership turned more vocal in a three-hour meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s top Army brass on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Zamir warned Netanyahu that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could be trapped in Gaza for years if it launches a campaign to occupy areas that are not currently under Israeli control. The IDF chief also warned that any effort to take back areas from where the army has withdrawn could harm Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The Israeli army said it currently controls over 75 percent of Gaza after nearly two years of war.
What Netanyahu is planning next?
However, despite the opposition from the country’s military leadership, Netanyahu insists on moving ahead with his proposed plan to occupy parts of the Gaza Strip from which Israeli forces withdrew about two decades ago, the report said.
According to the report, the meeting turned into a heated verbal confrontation as Netanyahu told Zamir that the Israeli army had failed to secure the release of hostages in Gaza, while most of the hostages have been released via diplomatic means, not military operations.
Following the clash, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X that its the right and the duty of the army chief to express his opinion, but asserted that the Israeli army will follow the government’s decisions until all the objectives of the war are achieved.
The rift between the Israeli army and the country’s political leadership comes at a time when there is mounting global international and domestic pressure on Netanyahu to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal with Hamas, while starvation in Gaza has raised concerns around the world.
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