Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to propose the complete military occupation of the Gaza Strip when he meets his security cabinet on Tuesday, despite opposition from military leaders and warnings that the move could doom the remaining hostages.
“The die has been cast. We’re going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip and defeating Hamas,” a senior Israeli official told local media on Monday. The unnamed official added that if army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir disagreed with the plan, “he should resign.”
The proposal comes as more than 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies, issued an unprecedented letter to US President Donald Trump calling for him to pressure Netanyahu to end the war. The signatories warned that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel and that military objectives have been achieved.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues to deepen, with at least 180 Palestinians now confirmed dead from starvation, including 93 children. The death toll from Israeli military operations has surpassed 61,020 since October 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Military and Intelligence Opposition
The proposed occupation plan faces significant resistance from within Israel’s security establishment. Army chief Zamir has reportedly warned that Israel could “lose” the hostages if it proceeds with a full military offensive, particularly in areas where captives are believed to be held.
From the military point of view, Hamas is totally destroyed,” former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon told the BBC. “On the other hand, as an ideology it is getting more and more power among the Palestinian people, within the Arab street around us, and also in the world of Islam.”
Ayalon was among more than 600 signatories to Monday’s letter to Trump, which included three former Mossad heads, Tamir Pardo, Efraim Halevy, and Danny Yatom, plus five former Shin Bet directors and three former military chiefs of staff, including former prime minister Ehud Barak.
“At first this war was a just war, a defensive war, but when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war,” Ayalon stated. The war, now approaching its twenty-third month, “is leading the State of Israel to lose its security and identity,” he warned.
Hostage Families’ Desperation
The timing of Netanyahu’s announcement has shocked families of the estimated 50 hostages still held in Gaza, with only 20 believed to be alive. Their desperation intensified after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad released videos showing two Israeli hostages, Rom Blaslavski and Evyatar David, appearing severely emaciated.
David was shown digging what he described as his own grave in an underground tunnel, footage that has horrified the Israeli public. “You see your child dying before your eyes and you can’t do anything,” Ofir Braslavski told the Associated Press about seeing his son Rom in the video.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned Netanyahu’s plan as “sacrificing” those still held in Gaza. Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan remains captive, wrote on social media: “667 days that the hostages are enduring a Holocaust in the tunnels, and instead of reaching a full agreement to end the war, Netanyahu is preparing an operation that will turn the living hostages into bodies.”
Polls indicate that three in four Israelis favour a ceasefire deal to secure the hostages’ return, directly contradicting Netanyahu’s military escalation plans.
Expansion Plans and International Reaction
Under the proposed plan, the Israeli military would expand operations across the entire Gaza Strip, including areas where it has previously avoided operating due to the presence of hostages. The Israel Defence Forces currently control approximately 75 per cent of Gaza’s 141 square miles, with the UN stating that only 12 per cent of the territory remains outside Israeli military zones or evacuation orders.
Netanyahu confirmed his intentions in a video posted on Monday, stating that Gaza’s Palestinian population “will be moved, for its own protection.” He added: “We’re committing to free Gaza from the tyranny of these terrorists.”
The announcement has prompted international alarm. The Palestinian Authority denounced the proposal, calling on the international community to intervene to prevent what it termed a new military occupation. Regional countries and humanitarian groups have warned that any attempt to forcibly relocate Gaza’s population would constitute a violation of international law.
The plan appears to align with President Trump’s controversial suggestion of resettling Gaza’s population in other countries, a proposal that has been met with horror by regional nations and humanitarian organisations.
Humanitarian Catastrophe Deepens
The proposed military escalation comes amid what UN-backed experts describe as the “worst-case scenario of famine” currently unfolding in Gaza. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, two out of three famine thresholds have been reached: plummeting food consumption and acute malnutrition.
At least 180 Palestinians have died from starvation since the war began, with seven more deaths reported on Monday alone. More than 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since April, with 3,000 classified as severely malnourished.
“We do not need to wait for a declaration of famine in Gaza to know that people are already starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border,” stated WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The crisis has worsened since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza in March, allowing only minimal aid to enter. UN officials report that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed whilst attempting to access food aid, many near distribution sites overseen by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Political Calculations
Israeli media commentators suggest Netanyahu’s timing is driven by multiple factors, including pressure from far-right coalition partners who threaten to topple his government if he agrees to a ceasefire. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have openly advocated for Gaza’s occupation and eventual annexation.
Writing in Yedioth Ahronoth, columnist Nahum Barnea observed: “Netanyahu has never taken a gamble on this scale before.” He noted that after 22 months of fighting, “it is hard to take those kinds of promises seriously. It seems that Netanyahu has just one objective in the war in Gaza, to prolong the war.”
The proposal also follows the apparent collapse of ceasefire negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families over the weekend that his proposal for a temporary ceasefire “doesn’t work and we’ve tried everything.”
International Pressure Mounts
The UK and Canada joined France last week in announcing conditional plans for recognising a Palestinian state, part of growing international moves to revive the two-state solution. This diplomatic pressure adds to Netanyahu’s challenges as he seeks to expand military operations.
Within Israel, opposition leader Yair Golan said Netanyahu’s plan “serves no security purpose and does not bring the release of the hostages closer,” accusing the prime minister of trying to save his government from collapse.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, though Israel does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.
Uncertain Outcome
As Netanyahu prepares to present his plan to the security cabinet, the Israeli military has already begun calling up reservists to support expanded operations. However, significant questions remain about implementation, international response, and the fate of both hostages and Gaza’s civilian population.
The proposed occupation would mark a dramatic reversal of Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, when it dismantled settlements and withdrew forces from the territory. It would also defy widespread international calls for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated resolution to the conflict.
With military leaders opposing the plan, hostage families in despair, and the humanitarian crisis deepening by the day, Netanyahu’s gamble on full occupation represents what many observers describe as the most consequential decision of the nearly two-year war.
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Image Credit:
This image is used in cropped form:
- Benjamin Netanyahu 2019 (cropped) – English description: Benjamin Netanyahu 2019 (cropped), extracted from larger media of USAID Administrator Mark Green’s visit to Jerusalem in August 2019. Photo by Matty Stern, via U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, taken at 10:42 on 22 August 2019 in Jerusalem, using a Nikon D5 at 48 mm. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
