Israel's Gaza bet: IDF chief wanted vote on truce and hostage deals, Netanyahu refused, say reports

Is there friction appearing between the Israeli government and military? Local media reports suggest that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Defence Staff, Eyal Zamir, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have disagreed on the direction of the ongoing war in Gaza during a Cabinet meeting over the weekend.

During a security cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, Lt. Gen. Zamir pressed for discussion of the ceasefire deal already accepted by Hamas, warning that the planned offensive on Gaza City could pull Israel into a full-scale occupation of the Strip.

Hamas denounced on Monday a plan reportedly being considered by US President Donald Trump for the United States to take control of the devastated Gaza Strip and for its population to be relocated.

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IDF and Netanyahu spar over truce vote

According to the local media reports, Zamir called for a vote on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release over the weekend. The prime minister, however, rejected his bid after requests from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other ministers, saying, “There is no need to vote; this is not on the table.”

The truce proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, during which 10 living hostages would be released, 18 bodies returned, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails, while negotiations continue for the release of the remaining hostages.

Netanyahu opposed to any discussion on the deal, saying that Israel currently has “a limited diplomatic clock” with the US and warned that a withdrawal from territory captured by the IDF during Operation Gideon’s Chariots would carry “a heavy price.”

‘Gaza takeover will lead to occupation’

Ynet News reported that Zamir expressed concerns over Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City, warning that it might lead to occupation.

“You are heading to a military government. Your plan is leading us there. Understand the implications. Your decision to conquer Gaza City, and afterwards this will lead to the conquest of the refugee camps in central Gaza,  and then it will be a military government, because there will be no other body that could take responsibility for the population,” the IDF chief said.

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The discussion was dismissed by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who asserted that the decision had already been made.

With inputs from agencies