Military chief said to clash with Netanyahu over plans to conquer Gaza
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IOF Chief Eyal Zamir clash over the government’s plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, with Zamir warning it endangers captives and risks exhausting the army.
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"Israel's" military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, in occupied al-Quds' Old City on March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Occupation Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir have reportedly clashed on Wednesday over a controversial plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, with Zamir warning the move would be a "trap" for the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and could endanger captives still held in the enclave.
The confrontation, reported by Israeli media outlets, occurred during a three-hour closed-door meeting of senior cabinet members ahead of a vote on Thursday to approve the occupation plan. Netanyahu, under pressure from far-right coalition partners, is said to be pushing forward with full occupation as negotiations with the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza have stalled.
According to reports, Zamir told Netanyahu, "You’re going to create a trap in Gaza," adding that full occupation would "significantly endanger the lives of the hostages and cause erosion in the army."
The tension between Netanyahu and Zamir intensified following a social media post by the prime minister’s son, Yair Netanyahu, who holds no official government role. In the post, he accused Zamir of orchestrating a "rebellion and attempted military coup that is fit for a banana republic in Central America in the 70s."
Zamir objected strongly during the cabinet meeting, reportedly saying, "How does that look? Why are you attacking me? Why are you speaking against me in the middle of a war?"
Netanyahu responded, "Don’t threaten to quit in the media. I can’t accept that every time you threaten that, if we don’t accept your plans, you’ll leave. My son is 33; he’s a grown man."
IOF Chief opposes full occupation over captive risks
Zamir, who has clashed repeatedly with Netanyahu’s cabinet in recent days, warned that a full occupation would further strain Israeli forces and jeopardize the lives of the estimated 50 captives still held by Palestinian groups in Gaza, and at least 20 of them are believed to be alive.
Rather than fully seize Gaza, Zamir is reportedly advocating a gradual approach: Encircling Gaza City and other population centers while maintaining pressure from the outside, a strategy aimed at minimizing risks to captives and soldiers alike.
Despite Zamir’s warnings, Netanyahu instructed him to present updated plans for full occupation to the cabinet. When Zamir replied that he had already submitted them, Netanyahu reportedly said, "Make the improvements and present it."
This latest dispute highlights growing divisions between the military leadership and the far-right government over the Gaza war strategy, as the Israeli occupation forces, already controlling about 75% of the Gaza Strip, push a plan to seize the remaining areas, effectively bringing the entire enclave under full Israeli control.
What such a move would mean for Gaza’s population of over two million civilians, and the humanitarian agencies operating in the Strip, remains uncertain.
