Zamir, backed by most senior military officers, opposes such a move out of concern it would endanger the lives of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Military sources warn the operation risks total loss of all hostages, alive and dead. Israel has so far avoided ordering the army to operate deep inside Gaza City and the central refugee camps for this reason.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson, Haim Zach/Flash90, REUTERS / Amir Cohen)
A high-level security meeting is expected Wednesday with Netanyahu, Zamir, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and IDF Operations Head Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen. The military leadership plans to present ongoing operational strategies focused on encircling the central camps and wearing down Hamas in Gaza City through raids, airstrikes and commando actions.
Netanyahu is expected to demand alternative plans involving full occupation of the Gaza Strip including timelines and an extended “cleansing” phase resembling Israel’s prolonged operations in the West Bank, which remain ongoing. This course would transfer control of Gaza to Israel and impose military governance. Officials say Netanyahu may be signaling this option but has yet to fully explain it publicly.
The risks of such an operation are considerable. Besides threatening hostage lives and causing heavy Israeli casualties, it would create a severe logistical challenge in relocating nearly one million Gaza City civilians. Much of southern Gaza has already been devastated in recent operations, leaving no clear refuge for displaced residents. Constructing a “humanitarian city” on the ruins of Rafah or Khan Yunis would require months of work, international funding and crucially political legitimacy—currently lacking amid ongoing conflict.
The ground reality has shifted as Hamas has succeeded in mobilizing international opinion against Israel, leading to extended humanitarian ceasefires and record aid deliveries including food airdrops. Under these conditions, military officials question how maneuvering through Gaza’s urban terrain remains feasible. Southern Command, led by Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, is reportedly struggling to complete the final stages of the current offensive.
Israel faces its most complex strategic dilemma since the war began. The stated objectives—hostage recovery and Hamas’s defeat—are at odds with the evolving battlefield realities. Netanyahu, along with ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, advocates expanding combat operations into Gaza City and refugee camps, even at the risk of endangering hostages or effectively forfeiting their return. Zamir demands strategic clarity and supports a siege-and-attrition approach combined with selective raids where hostage recovery is unlikely alongside efforts to negotiate hostage releases.
Despite aggressive rhetoric, Netanyahu has yet to order the IDF to prepare fully for occupation and has postponed decisive cabinet debates on the issue multiple times. If committed, he would have called up additional reservists or redeployed regular brigades to Gaza by now. Instead, he appears intent on exhausting negotiation channels currently stalled. A senior security official said, “Hamas is in no hurry; it feels empowered by international pressure and humanitarian aid and sees no reason to compromise on hostages now.”
Yossi YehoshuaIsrael struggles to define a clear path forward. It is neither fully engaged militarily nor effectively negotiating, failing to secure the hostages’ release. Meanwhile, Qatar, the principal mediator, maintains a dual role—facilitating talks but delaying progress. Qatar preserves Hamas as part of its regional strategy, leveraging its unique relations with the United States to advance its interests.
Israeli officials believe Qatar has real leverage over Hamas but so far has chosen not to use it. Another proposed solution is civilian evacuation from Gaza, which has yet to begin. However, officials say even a limited evacuation effort could gain momentum if initiated.
