Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a backlash from the military commander over his proposal to seize the remaining areas of Gaza that are no longer under his control during a tense three-hour meeting, three Israeli officials said, quoted by "Reuters".
Eyal Zamir, the army chief of staff, warned the prime minister that taking over the rest of Gaza could block the military in territory it withdrew from two decades ago and could lead to harm to hostages held there, sources briefed on the meeting said in Tuesday.
The Israeli military says it now controls 75% of Gaza after nearly two years of war that began when the militant group Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities in October 2023.
Much of the densely populated coastal enclave has been devastated in the war, which has destroyed homes, schools, mosques and hospitals. Most of the population has been displaced multiple times, and aid groups say residents are on the brink of starvation. The United Nations has called reports of a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza "deeply worrying" if true. Soldiers, who accuse Hamas of operating among civilians, sometimes avoid areas where intelligence agencies believe hostages are being held, and former captives say their captors threatened to kill them if Israeli forces approached. Netanyahu, who favors expanding military operations, told Zamir that the military has so far failed to free the hostages, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A fourth source said the prime minister was considering expanding military operations in Gaza to pressure the Hamas.
Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on Wednesday that the military chief has both the right and the duty to express his opinion, but said the military will implement government decisions until all military objectives are achieved.
The prime minister's office confirmed the meeting with Zamir on Tuesday but declined further comment, and the military did not respond to a request for comment.
The prime minister will discuss military plans for Gaza with other ministers on Thursday.
Netanyahu, who said in May that Israel would control all of Gaza, leads the most right-wing coalition government in Israel's history, and some of his key partners have threatened in the past to leave if the government ends the war.
Fifty hostages are still being held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in Gaza, last week of two extremely emaciated hostages have drawn international condemnation.
Nearly 200 Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza since the war began, about half of them children, according to the Gaza health ministry. More than 20 died on Wednesday when a truck believed to be carrying food overturned while being surrounded by a desperate crowd, local health officials said.
There is strong international pressure for a ceasefire to ease the hunger and appalling conditions in Gaza, and for Hamas to release the hostages. The last ceasefire talks in Qatar collapsed last month. Hamas insists that any deal must lead to a definitive end to the war, while Israel accuses the group of being insincere about relinquishing power afterward and that it must be defeated.
Expanding the military offensive into densely populated areas would likely be devastating. Many Palestinians in Gaza live in tent camps in the southern part of the territory, displaced by 22 months of bombing.
The war in Gaza has also strained the Israeli military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilize reservists. It is unclear whether more reservists will be needed to expand operations and seize more territory.
The military continued airstrikes in Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 135 people in the past 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry said, bringing the death toll since the conflict began to more than 61,000, mostly civilians.
Hamas-led militants have killed about 1,200 people, including more than 700 civilians, and 251 hostages were taken in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant group attacked Israel.
In Israel, public opinion polls show support for a diplomatic deal that would end the war and secure the release of hostages.