Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends for the „total occupation” of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are located, despite opposition expressed by the military and security services.
The statement was made by his spokesperson during a meeting with the Israeli press, later confirmed by official sources for the EFE news agency. A meeting of the security cabinet, which is set to decide on the next steps of the offensive, is scheduled for Tuesday, but had not taken place at the time of writing this news.
"The Prime Minister will convene a security debate tomorrow regarding the continuation of the fighting and their expansion into areas where there are fears of hostages. Security forces oppose maneuvers in places where hostages are located for fear of causing harm," it was reported on Monday in a statement accessed by EFE.
"The fate is sealed: we will completely occupy the Gaza Strip," assured the spokesperson of Prime Minister Netanyahu during the meeting with the Israeli press, according to reports from the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
"Operations will be carried out even in areas where hostages are located. If the Chief of Staff does not agree, he should resign," he said, referring to the army chief, Eyal Zamir, considering the opposition of the Israeli security apparatus to this measure.
"It was decided to give the soldiers a bit of space to breathe"
Sources close to the government told EFE that the security cabinet meeting - made up of government members with relevant portfolios and other senior security officials - which will decide on the course of the offensive in the Gaza Strip, scheduled for Tuesday, has not yet taken place.
On the other hand, already on Monday afternoon, before the announcement of the meeting, the local press reported that the Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, canceled his planned visit to the United States.
After the leader's intentions were revealed, the army responded with a statement announcing the cancellation of the extension of service, in effect until now, for regular ground troops starting in 2025.
"It was decided to give the soldiers a bit of space to breathe," the statement said, "in light of the intense battles in different sectors of the armed forces over the past two years."
"The decisions were made by the Chief of Staff, concerned about the quality of service to the combatants and the strengthening of their rights, considering their contribution to the defense forces of Israel and the State of Israel," the statement mentioned.
According to The Times of Israel, the opposition of the armed forces is based on concerns that Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip will execute hostages in front of the troops' advance (as happened at the end of August 2024 with six prisoners found on September 1). Additionally, the Israeli army believes that the destruction of the Hamas structure could take years.