Netanyahu Meets Security Officials as Israel Considers Full Gaza Takeover

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met senior security officials to finalize a new strategy for the 22-month war in Gaza, his office said on Tuesday, with media reporting he favored a complete military takeover of the Strip.

Despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and humanitarian conditions more broadly in the besieged Palestinian enclave, efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas have collapsed.

The prime minister’s office said in statement that Netanyahu had held a “limited security discussion” lasting about three hours during which military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir “presented the options for continuing the campaign in Gaza.”

An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters that Defense Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also attend the meeting to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet this week.

Israel‘s Channel 12, citing an official from Netanyahu‘s office, had said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory. That would reverse a 2005 decision to withdraw from Gaza, while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there.

It was unclear, however, whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages. The prime minister’s office declined to comment on the Channel 12 report.

“It is still necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, release our hostages, and ensure that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu told new recruits at a military base. “We are not giving up on any of these missions.”

On Saturday, Hamas released a video of Evyatar David, one of 50 hostages still held in Gaza, appearing emaciated in what seemed to be an underground tunnel. The images shocked Israelis and sparked international condemnation.

Throughout the war, there has been international pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages, of whom Israeli officials estimate 20 are still alive. Most hostages have been released during ceasefires following diplomatic negotiations, and some have been rescued by Israeli forces.

PRESSURE TACTIC?

A Palestinian official said the suggestion of a full takeover of Gaza may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports.

“The ministry urges countries and the international community to treat these leaks with utmost seriousness and to intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether these leaks are meant to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are genuine and serious,” it said.

Nearly two years of fighting in Gaza has strained the Israeli military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilize reservists. It has throughout the war pushed back against the idea of Israel fully occupying Gaza.

In a sign of differences between some members of Israel‘s ruling coalition and the military, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X challenged military head Zamir to state he would comply with government directives even if a decision was made to take all of Gaza.

The statement from Netanyahu‘s office said the Israeli Defense Forces were “prepared to implement any decision that will be made by the Political-Security Cabinet.”

The war was triggered when Hamas-led terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing 251 hostages.

Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades.