IDF chief, key advisers, right-wing allies, and mass street protests challenge government’s decision to seize Gaza City, warning of risks to hostages, soldiers, and Israel’s strategic standing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to press ahead with a sweeping military operation to seize Gaza City has triggered intense pushback from across Israel’s political and security establishment. Senior military commanders, cabinet ministers, and even prominent figures within his own Likud party have voiced concerns that the move could lead to a prolonged occupation, worsen humanitarian conditions, and jeopardize the lives of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.
The decision, approved by the security cabinet in early August, is framed by Netanyahu as a necessary step toward dismantling Hamas’s last significant urban stronghold. Critics counter that the plan risks entangling Israel in an open-ended and costly ground presence in the Strip. The controversy has opened new rifts inside the government and exposed rare public disagreements between Netanyahu and some of his closest allies.
Military Warnings at the Top
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir issued a stark warning during cabinet deliberations, stressing that “taking the rest of Gaza could trap the military in the territory” for years. He cautioned that pushing deeper into Gaza City would increase the danger to the approximately 20 hostages believed to be alive, while also straining the IDF’s manpower and resources. The Times of Israel reported that Zamir told ministers such a move could also spark “a humanitarian disaster” that would bring severe international repercussions.
Despite these warnings, Netanyahu maintained that the IDF must seize Gaza City to ensure Hamas’s total defeat. According to officials present at the meeting, he argued that delaying decisive action would only allow Hamas to regroup and prolong the conflict. His insistence on proceeding, despite the chief of staff’s objections, has heightened tensions between the political and military echelons, underscoring a fundamental strategic divide over the war’s endgame.
Hanegbi’s Rare Break with Netanyahu
National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, a longtime Netanyahu confidant, took the unusual step of opposing the prime minister’s plan during the same cabinet session. “I’m not prepared to give up on saving the hostages,” Hanegbi said, in remarks reported by Israeli media. He emphasized that “the significance of this [decision] is giving up on the chance to immediately save 10 hostages,” aligning himself fully with Zamir’s assessment that the Gaza City operation would “endanger the lives of the hostages.”
Hanegbi’s dissent is notable given his history of defending Netanyahu’s policies, even in times of political crisis. His public break reflects the depth of concern among some senior advisers that the government’s current trajectory prioritizes symbolic military gains over achievable humanitarian objectives. It also signals that resistance to the plan is not confined to the opposition or the left but extends into the prime minister’s own inner circle.
Smotrich’s Disillusionment from the Right
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, known for his uncompromising stance on Gaza, also criticized the move—though for markedly different reasons. “I lost trust that Netanyahu wants, is able to win Gaza war,” Smotrich declared, urging a more aggressive approach that he believes would deliver a swift and decisive victory. He accused Netanyahu of using the Gaza City push as “a ploy to bring Hamas back to negotiations,” a claim that reflects growing frustration within the right-wing bloc.
For Smotrich and his allies, the problem is not that the plan goes too far but that it may not go far enough. They argue that a full military takeover of Gaza, combined with a policy of dismantling Hamas entirely and reestablishing Israeli communities in the Strip, is the only path to lasting security. Smotrich’s public criticism underlines the fragile unity within the governing coalition, where both caution and maximalism coexist in uneasy tension.
Protests and Hostage Families’ Anguish
The decision has also ignited an outpouring of public opposition. Over the weekend, more than 100,000 Israelis filled Tel Aviv’s streets, many waving banners demanding a hostage deal before any new military escalation. Among them were family members of the roughly 50 hostages still held in Gaza, who fear that the planned offensive could be “a sentence of death” for their loved ones. Their chants and speeches reflected deep anger at what they see as the government’s willingness to gamble with human lives.
Hostage families have repeatedly warned that increased fighting reduces the slim chances of negotiating safe releases. Organizers of the protest accused Netanyahu of pursuing a politically motivated “victory image” rather than focusing on the safe return of citizens. The scale and intensity of the demonstrations show that the Gaza City decision is not only a matter of military policy but also a galvanizing force for domestic dissent.
Netanyahu Prepares Public Defense
Facing mounting criticism, Netanyahu has scheduled a press conference to defend the Gaza City plan. Israeli media report that he will present the operation as a strategic necessity, arguing that only by seizing Hamas’s main bastion can Israel restore its deterrence and prevent future large-scale attacks. He is expected to reject claims that the move undermines hostage negotiations, insisting that increased pressure will force Hamas to make concessions.
The prime minister’s upcoming public address will be a critical test of his ability to persuade an increasingly skeptical audience. It will also provide him with a platform to project confidence in his leadership amid growing questions about the government’s strategy and its capacity to deliver both security and the safe return of hostages.
Humanitarian and Diplomatic Concerns
Inside Israel, humanitarian organizations have voiced alarm over the implications of the Gaza City operation. They warn that further fighting in densely populated areas will exacerbate shortages of food, water, and medical care, and could draw renewed condemnation from the international community. These concerns have been amplified by reports from aid agencies operating in southern Gaza, which describe already precarious conditions.
Diplomatic consequences are also looming. The United Nations has condemned the planned offensive, and several European governments are considering restrictions on military exports to Israel in protest. These developments could complicate Israel’s broader foreign policy objectives, especially at a time when it seeks to strengthen ties with key allies in the region and beyond.
A Political and Strategic Crossroads
Netanyahu’s Gaza City plan has become a focal point for the wider debate over Israel’s war aims and the balance between military action and humanitarian obligations. For supporters, it represents decisive leadership in the face of an implacable enemy; for opponents, it is a high-stakes gamble that could undermine both Israel’s moral standing and its long-term security.
As the operation’s start date draws closer, the country remains deeply divided. Whether seizing Gaza City will accelerate the end of the war or plunge Israel into a new and protracted phase of conflict is now the central question—one that will define not only Netanyahu’s political legacy but also Israel’s path forward in a region still reeling from months of war.
Dear Knesset members, Israeli cabinet members, and IDF high command:
I am an “outsider”, a Gentile Christian who knows her roots are in Israel, because my Redeemer is and always was a Judean from the line of King David. I am also a former US military RN, who understands triage and the value of an human life. Further, I can see what Hamas is doing, and Muslims have been doing since the 7th century. You MUST balance those remaining hostages against the lives of all the rest of your citizens, and ask yourselves how do you justify to your children and grandkids that they must die so the current hostages can be returned, most of whom are already dead? Because you have to know as well as I do that is what any trade will mean. Do your BEST to retrieve the ones still alive alive, and by all means retrieve all the ones still held, but by military action, not some insanely unbalanced trade! Hold firmly in your minds Yahya Sinwar and Gilead Shalit: was his life worth 1+ K “Palestinians”? Sure; but was it worth 7 October 2023? I sure don’t believe so! The sad and painful truth is sometimes we must make difficult choices, especially when in leadership positions, and emotions cannot govern them. Today it is you, collectively, who must choose. Is the future risk to you children really worth those maybe 20 still alive hostages? More to the point, is it worth their lives to retrieve 30 or so already dead? Remember, Yhvh God is with you, you might consult Him about it; those ARE all His chosen children too, after all.