Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister, has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of making a “180-degree U-turn” after promising this time to “go all the way.” He warns that Netanyahu’s war plan will fail and that he has “lost confidence that the prime minister can and wants to lead [the Israeli army] there,” the Financial Times reports.

Smotrich's comment comes as Netanyahu's security cabinet has ordered the Israeli military to begin preparations to"take control of Gaza City." The Israeli minister also stressed that Netanyahu's plan amounts to "launching a military operation that is not aimed at solving the problem, but rather at pressuring Hamas to accept a partial hostage deal." He also criticized the prime minister, saying that"this is not how you win a war."

The country's military chiefs opposed Netanyahu's plan, stressing that the move would overstretch a fighting force already exhausted after 22 months of war.

On Friday, Israel's security cabinet approved Netanyahu's plan to completely occupy Gaza City. The decision sparked a wave of international and domestic condemnation, with dire warnings of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe.