Netanyahu reportedly seeking full occupation of Gaza, Israeli media says
Unnamed sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed local media on Monday that he is now pushing for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip.
Channel 12 quoted “senior figures in the Prime Minister’s Office” as saying: “The decision has been made, Israel is heading towards the occupation of the Gaza Strip.”
The channel reported that ministers who spoke with Netanyahu - who is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes - said he had decided to expand the military offensive in Gaza, which has largely stalled in recent months.
According to the report, he explicitly used the term “occupation of the Strip” in conversations with several cabinet members.
The Ynet news website, also citing sources close to Netanyahu, similarly reported that Israel was preparing for the “full occupation of the Gaza Strip”.
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This would involve expanding ground operations into areas where captives are believed to be held, and into locations where Israeli troops have not operated for over a year, including western Gaza City and the central refugee camps.
Leaks citing unnamed sources close to the Prime Minister’s Office are common in Israeli media and are often interpreted as coming directly from Netanyahu himself.
Last week, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had stated that his government will move to annex parts of the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire agreement with Hamas is not reached.
Middle East Eye could not independently verify the credibility of sources cited in Israeli media.
Troops exhaustion
The simultaneous Monday leaks come amid reported tensions between Netanyahu and Israel's army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir.
According to Israeli media, Zamir opposes expanding the ground assault in Gaza, citing concerns for the safety of captives and the growing exhaustion among Israeli troops.
According to the Monday reports, the sources said that Zamir should resign if he doesn’t agree to the occupation of Gaza.
Additionally, Ynet said that Netanyahu's intention to expand the assault on Gaza came after a “green light” from US President Donald Trump.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 reported that Netanyahu is scheduled to convene a security meeting on Tuesday to discuss the potential expansion of the war.
The broadcaster added that the security establishment opposes a ground incursion into areas where captives are being held, due to concerns that it could endanger their lives.
Channel 12 also cited a security source familiar with the negotiations as saying that Israel was close to securing a partial deal with Hamas, but that “the government backed away hastily”.
Last month, Israel and Hamas were engaged in a round of indirect ceasefire and prisoner swap talks.
However, both Israel and its main backer, the United States, abruptly withdrew from the talks, despite reports suggesting that progress was being made.
Since the war began 22 months ago, Israeli forces have killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, including at least 18,000 children, in relentless and indiscriminate bombardment.
The war has been widely described as a genocide, with Israel accused of deliberately targeting civilians, bombing hospitals, and using starvation as a weapon, among numerous other alleged human rights violations.
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