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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a full occupation of the Gaza Strip to dismantle Hamas’s control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a discussion at the plenum in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told ministers this week that he will seek cabinet backing for a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, despite objections from within the Israel Defense Forces.

According to reports in Hebrew media, several ministers said Netanyahu used the term “occupation of the Strip” in private conversations describing his vision for the expansion of military operations in Gaza — a notable shift in tone as the government prepares to discuss the future of the Gaza campaign.

The Ynet news site quoted a senior official close to the premier as saying, “The die is cast — we are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip.”

“There will be operations even in areas where hostages are being held. If the chief of staff doesn’t agree, he should resign,” they added, referring to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir who reportedly opposes the proposed occupation of Gaza.

The IDF currently holds control over approximately 75 percent of the Gaza Strip, but under the new plan, the military would be expected to occupy the remaining territory as well — bringing the entire enclave under Israeli control.

It is unclear what such a move would mean for the Strip’s millions of civilians and for humanitarian groups operating in the enclave.

The IDF has said it opposes taking over the whole Strip, with the army assessing it could take years to clear all Hamas infrastructure. It could also put hostages in danger of being executed by their captors should troops approach where they are being held.

Netanyahu said earlier Monday that he would convene the cabinet to order the IDF on how to proceed with the war effort, with some believing the premier could ask the army to hold back in order to further give hostage talks a chance to percolate.

On Sunday, Channel 12 news reported that a divide had emerged within the security cabinet on the potential occupation of Gaza, with the premier and Defense Minister Israel Katz allegedly remaining undecided.

Of those reportedly in favor of expanding Gaza operations were Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.

On the other side, those reportedly favoring continued efforts to reach a ceasefire-hostage deal included Zamir, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Mossad chief David Barnea, the Shin Bet’s negotiator known by the Hebrew letter “Mem,” and Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, who is overseeing the hostage file for the military.

Amid the discussions on how to proceed in Gaza, Zamir recently canceled a planned trip to the United States, a military source said Monday.

The source said the short trip was conditioned on there being a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and since that is not the case, he would not be flying on Monday night.

Zamir was set to attend the handover ceremony of the head of the US Central Command, as well as meet with US officials at the Pentagon and leaders of Jewish groups, according to the IDF. Because there is no ceasefire, “and due to the difficult situation of the hostage issue, and the great responsibility on his shoulders, he decided to cancel his trip,” the source added.

Last week, Hebrew media reported that the cabinet had begun discussions on the potential occupation of the entire Strip, with some outlets saying annexation of parts of Gaza was also on the table. If decided upon, full occupation of Gaza would entail Israeli forces entering areas of Gaza that they have not yet operated, including areas where hostages are believed to be held.

As the negotiations with Hamas have reached an impasse, Israel and the US have reportedly shifted towards a “comprehensive framework” for an end to the war and the release of all hostages, instead of the temporary ceasefire deal that was previously under discussion.

US envoy Steve Witkoff told families of hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday that US President Donald Trump was seeking a comprehensive deal to return the hostages and end the war, and that there would be no more “piecemeal” deals.

“There will be no more partial deals,” a senior official was quoted as saying two days earlier, explaining that Israel and the US now concur on the need to “shift from a framework for the release of some of the hostages to a framework for the release of all of the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.”

If actualized, the new stance would mark a major shift for Israel, which came up with the phased hostage deal framework during the first year of the war, as it enabled Israel to secure the release of some of its hostages, while maintaining the ability to resume the war — something Netanyahu needed to maintain his coalition, as far-right partners threatened to collapse the government if Israel agreed to a permanent ceasefire.

An Israeli source quoted Friday by the Haaretz daily expressed deep pessimism about the prospects for a broader agreement, saying there was little chance Hamas would accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war.

The war began with the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage. Since then, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 60,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.

Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 459. The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.

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