* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to reoccupy all of the Gaza Strip has caused tensions with his defense establishment and with his allies in Washington.
* Top Israel Defense Forces (IDF) leaders and the families of remaining Israeli hostages are trying to scuttle the re-occupation plan, arguing it will cause extensive IDF and Palestinian casualties and the death of the remaining hostages.
* Opposed to expanded Israeli military action in Gaza, Trump officials are pressuring Netanyahu to accept war-ending governance and security arrangements he has rejected to date.
* The re-occupation plan will undermine Israel’s efforts to mitigate the global isolation it is facing as a consequence of the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
On Monday, amid stalled ceasefire negotiations (https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2025-august-1/) with Hamas, Israeli officials told international media that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would put before his security cabinet a proposal to take complete control of the Gaza Strip – after 22 months of war that had failed to dismantle Hamas or achieve the return of all remaining Israeli hostages. There are 50 hostages still in captivity, of which 20 are believed alive, as Hamas and its ally, Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), released video footage last week of two hostages in an emaciated state and in dark tunnels. Netanyahu’s plan triggered sharp reactions inside Israel, Washington, and in Arab and European capitals. Far from accepting the advice from the U.S. and other stakeholders to end the war, the Netanyahu plan, if implemented, presents global leaders with the potential for an open-ended conflict (https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2024-october-22/) with little hope of
resolution, drawing Iran and its allies, although weakened, back into a major regional conflagration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel plans to seize military control of the entire Gaza Strip but does not intend to govern the territory long term.
In an interview with Fox News‘ Bill Hemmer, Netanyahu said, in part, “We intend to,” when asked whether Israel would take control of the full 26-mile coastal enclave.
However, he emphasized that Israel’s goal is to establish a security perimeter, not permanent rule: “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body.” Netanyahu added that control would ultimately be handed over to armed forces capable of governing Gaza “properly.”
A source in Netanyahu’s office told The Jerusalem Post that Netanyahu had reached a decision on the full occupation and plans to order military operations in areas where Israel believes its captives are being held by Hamas. “The die is cast — we are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip,” an Israeli official told Ynet.
The Israeli military has previously pushed back against plans for a full occupation, but Netanyahu’s message to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is that if he doesn’t like it, he should quit. “There will be operations even in areas where hostages are being held. If the IDF chief of staff doesn’t agree, he should resign,” the Israeli official said.
Netanyahu is set to convene his cabinet on Tuesday, where he will seek approval for the planned escalation. The Israeli military currently controls about 75% of Gaza, and under the new plan, it will work to capture the remaining territory to bring the entire Strip under Israeli control. Israeli reports from last week said that Netanyahu was planning to propose a plan to start annexing territory in Gaza.
The Israeli media reports on Monday did not say what would become of the Palestinian civilians living in the areas currently not occupied by Israel. Israeli officials previously announced a plan to build a concentration camp in a tiny area of southern Gaza with the goal of forcing the entire civilian population into it.
Netanyahu and his government have made clear that their ultimate goal is the removal of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which they now call the “Trump plan.” But so far, there’s been no indication that any regional countries are willing to take in a sizeable number of Palestinians to facilitate the ethnic cleansing.
The Trump administration has shown no interest in pressuring Israel to end its genocidal war and reach a deal with Hamas, which the US could do by leveraging military aid. While Israeli officials are now claiming Hamas doesn’t want a deal, the group has long said it is willing to release all remaining Israeli captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.
Israel has an existential interest in seeing justice done. If instead it glorifies those who orchestrate famine and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, its politics and society will lurch towards demagoguery and authoritarianism. The young, idealistic country that was born in May 1948 will have been eclipsed