Israel’s security cabinet, including far-right ministers, has endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial proposal to reoccupy Gaza City, despite warnings from military leaders and mounting public outrage.
The decision followed a late-night cabinet meeting in which Netanyahu presented a phased plan to expand Israeli military control over the enclave—75 percent of which is already under occupation. The proposal calls for uprooting Gaza City’s residents to the south, encircling the city, and launching ground incursions into densely populated areas, including so-called “Hamas training camps” in central Gaza.
Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir opposed the plan, warning of risks to the remaining 49 hostages, potential exhaustion of Israeli forces, and damage to Israel’s global standing. Several ministers, including Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri, also voiced concerns, urging the government to weigh military assessments and political consequences.
Despite these warnings, Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel intends to take “full control” of Gaza—though he said governance would later be handed to Arab forces “without Hamas.”
The plan has drawn protests in West Jerusalem, where families of hostages and other demonstrators demanded a truce deal instead of deeper military action. Some relatives accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease extremists and safeguard his political survival.
Since October 2023, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed over 62,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with thousands more feared buried under rubble. Experts believe the actual death toll could approach 200,000. Palestinians warn further incursions will bring “more destruction and death” to a territory already in ruins.
With tensions rising at home, resistance from military leadership, and growing condemnation abroad, Netanyahu’s reoccupation strategy risks escalating an already devastating conflict.
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Pakistan ‘strongly condemns’ Israeli airstrikes on Jenin: Foreign Office
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has stated that the violence and airstrikes against the occupied people of Palestine by the Israeli forces must cease immediately.
On Tuesday, Islamabad strongly denounced the Israeli raids and airstrikes in the city of Jenin. Pakistan urged the “occupying Israeli power” to promptly cease the violence.
