Israeli chorus against the plan to occupy Gaza grows ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss the plan scheduled for tonight.
Israeli Chief of Staff Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said disagreements are a “vital component” of the military, after recent reports have indicated tension between him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the premier’s plans to occupy the Gaza Strip, which the army is reported to oppose.
“We will continue to express our positions without fear, in a substantive, independent, and professional manner,” he added.
“We are not dealing with theory; we are dealing with matters of life and death, with the defense of the state, and we do so while looking directly into the eyes of our soldiers and the citizens of the country,” Zamir added during the morning assessment, the occupation army announced.
Zamir has repeatedly clashed with the cabinet in recent days, notably over the government’s move to expand the war in Gaza, according to multiple reports, and sources in Netanyahu’s Office have suggested that “if he objects to the plan to occupy Gaza, he can resign.”
His comments are published hours before a cabinet meeting this evening to discuss the Gaza occupation plans, indicating he will continue to push against the proposal.
Families of Captives
Meanwhile, families of the Israeli captives called for protests outside a cabinet meeting scheduled for tonight, as they urged the Israeli occupation army to “resist” the government plan.
Mother of Israeli captive Matan Zangauker said on Thursday that “Israel is reaching the point of no return” for a swap deal.
She said on X that Netanyahu promised her he would pursue a deal to free the hostages, “but took advantage of my pain, of the families, of the whole hurt nation [and] killed the deal.”
“Someone who talks about a comprehensive deal doesn’t go and conquer the Strip and put hostages and soldiers in danger,” she wrote.
In a separate statement, the Hostage Families Forum urged Zamir to stand up against the plan, but stops short of joining Zangauker’s call for protests.
“Chief of staff, we are asking you to stand strong. You are the supreme commander. Don’t consent to endanger our loved ones,” it said in a statement.
On the other hand, Maariv Hebrew newspaper quoted military sources as citing military estimations that that the rest of Israeli captives are likely to be killed by their captors or by Israeli strikes if the operation in Gaza is expanded.
The paper added that a large number of soldiers may be killed in Gaza in case of war expansion, citing military estimations.
Source: Al-Manar English Website and Israeli media
