Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s push for a full military takeover of the Gaza Strip has deepened divisions within Israel, drawn warnings from the country’s military leadership, and stirred concerns among key international allies.
Speaking ahead of a security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu told newsmen that Israel intended to seize full control of Gaza to remove Hamas from power and ensure Israeli security, before transferring civilian governance to “Arab forces,” though he gave no specifics on which countries might be involved. “We don’t want to govern it, We want to hand it over,” he said.
For now, the prime minister is seeking an expanded offensive into Gaza City and central refugee camps, areas where around one million Palestinians live and hostages are believed to be held. Military operations there could stretch for months, displacing more residents and worsening what aid agencies call a severe humanitarian crisis.
The plan has faced pushback from the Israeli Defense Forces’ chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, who, according to local media, warned Netanyahu that a full occupation would be “walking into a trap,” risking the lives of the 20 surviving hostages and overburdened soldiers.
Hostage families have echoed these fears, insisting negotiations with Hamas are the only way to secure releases.
Internationally, the proposal has split Israel’s allies. The UK’s ambassador to Israel, Simon Walter, called full occupation a “huge mistake,” while US envoy Mike Huckabee said it was Israel’s sovereign decision.
Netanyahu’s critics accuse him of prolonging the war, now nearing its second year, to maintain his governing coalition, which includes ultranationalist ministers advocating for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and Jewish resettlement there, a move condemned internationally as potential forced displacement.
The war, triggered by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks that killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 hostage-takings, has so far killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Many Israelis still favour a deal to end the fighting, but Netanyahu has ruled out Palestinian Authority control in post-war Gaza, leaving the territory’s future uncertain.
Netanyahu’s Gaza occupation plan sparks backlash at home, abroad
