KEY POINTS
- Israeli defence minister says the army will implement any government decision on Gaza.
- Israeli Army chief warns full occupation of Gaza would be like “walking into a trap”.
- Netanyahu is expected to order full occupation of the entire Gaza Strip.
- Trump says decision to occupy Gaza “up to Israel”.
- UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis as aid remains insufficient.
- Over 61,020 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli military offensive since October 2023.
GAZA CITY, Palestine: The Israeli military will have to execute any government decisions on Gaza, the defence minister said on Wednesday after reported disagreements within the leadership over the prospect of a full occupation of the besieged Palestinian territory.
Signs of a rift over strategy emerged as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to announce a new phase in the war, after he said Israel must “complete” the defeat of Hamas in order to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza.
The Israeli press, citing officials speaking on condition of anonymity, has predicted an escalation of operations, including in densely populated areas, such as Gaza City and refugee camps.
The reports also said Netanyahu and his cabinet would order a full military occupation of Gaza, sparking dissension from the army’s Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu held a restricted three-hour meeting with security chiefs to discuss options for the continuation of the war, his office said in a statement.
At the meeting, Zamir reportedly warned that a full occupation would be like “walking into a trap,” according to public broadcaster KAN.
The army chief suggested alternatives to a full occupation, such as an encirclement of specific areas where Hamas is believed to be hiding, according to the Channel 12 broadcaster.
But Defence Minister Israel Katz hit back with a clear message.
“It is the right and duty of the Chief of Staff to express his position in the appropriate forums,” he wrote on X.
“But once decisions are made by the political echelon, the IDF will execute them with determination and professionalism… until the objectives of the war are achieved,” he added, using an acronym for the Israeli military.
Trump says ‘up to Israel’
Netanyahu is expected to convene the security cabinet on Thursday to finalise a decision on the expansion of the offensive, local media reported.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday he was not aware of reported plans to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, but said that such a decision would be “up to Israel”.
The Israeli government is under growing pressure to bring the Gaza bombardment campaign to an end.
Israelis are increasingly alarmed about the fate of the dozens of hostages in Gaza. Of the 49 still held there, the Israeli military says 27 are dead, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, international criticism has surged over the suffering of over two million Palestinians, who the UN warns are at risk of widespread famine.
‘Dangerous routes’
In the besieged Gaza Strip, the civil defence agency said on Wednesday that at least 22 people had been killed in an overnight incident involving an aid truck that overturned onto a crowd of aid seekers.
“The truck overturned while hundreds of civilians were waiting for food aid in the Nuseirat area” of the Gaza Strip, civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
“The truck had been forced by the Israeli army to take dangerous roads,” in poor condition after being bombed, he added.
The Gaza government accused Israel of “deliberately obstructing the safe passage and distribution of the aid.”
A military official said the army was not involved in the incident, AFP reported.
At the end of May, Israel eased the humanitarian blockade it had imposed in early March on the territory, whose population is entirely dependent on international aid.
The quantities of humanitarian supplies allowed into the Strip via land or airdrops are deemed insufficient by the UN.
Since October 2023, the Israeli offensive has killed at least 61,020 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry, which are considered reliable by the UN.
