Major General Eyal Zamir held a situation assessment with the General Staff Forum - at the end of which he said: "We will express our position without fear and act responsibly. We are dealing with the rights of individuals, only the good of the state is before our eyes." The bone of contention: Encirclement - or occupation

Yoav Zeiton

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Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Eyal Zamir held a multi-sectoral situation assessment of the General Staff Forum this morning (Thursday) - ahead of the cabinet discussion in which the government will decide whether to proceed with the

Plan to occupy the Gaza Strip

According to the IDF spokesman, the assessment of the situation presented the operational situation in all sectors and presented the IDF's plans for the future.

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Eyal Zamir assessing the situation (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

The Chief of Staff said, amid reports of sharp differences of opinion between him and the political echelon and the Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu

"The culture of controversy is an inseparable part of the history of the Israeli people, it constitutes an essential component of the IDF's organizational culture - both internally and externally. We will continue to express our position without fear in a matter-of-fact, independent and professional manner. We also expect the same from our subordinates."

He addressed those present in the room: "Here lies the responsibility, on this table. We are not dealing with theory - we are dealing with the rights of souls, with the defense of the state, and we do this, while looking into the eyes of our soldiers and citizens of the state. We will continue to act responsibly, with integrity and determination - with only the good of the state and its security before our eyes."

According to Zamir,"We are currently reaching the finish line of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots'. We have met the objectives of the operation and even beyond. We continue to work to ensure long-term security for the settlements in the south and the surrounding area, as well as security for settlements on all borders. We currently have the ability to maintain a new security border, while continuously striking the enemy. We will no longer allow containment. We will thwart threats as they arise in all sectors and will continue to work to achieve our goals."

He concluded: "We intend to defeat and collapse Hamas - we will continue to act with our abductees before our eyes, we will do everything to return them."

At the cabinet meeting tonight

The IDF will present two programs

- One is occupation and the other is encirclement - and will recommend Option B. Netanyahu, who supports the occupation plan, will say that we tried the second option and were unable to get the hostages out and they are in danger of death. Zamir, who supports the encirclement of Gaza City and the central camps, alongside continued raids by commando units - will say that this way it will be possible to exhaust the negotiations for a hostage deal, and put them in less danger.

Another tactical move, without a long-term goal: What awaits the IDF in the Shati alleys and Deir al-Balah tunnels

Netanyahu's occupation plan

According to the plan supported by Netanyahu, between four and six divisions will maneuver for four to five months in the Strip, in a move that will include the occupation of Gaza and the central camps. The same maneuver is also supposed to take place in areas where hostages are being held, with a supreme effort to avoid harming them.

The first move after evacuating the residents of Gaza City will be to occupy Gaza City. As in previous cases, this time too Israel will work to push the population south to encourage an exit from the Strip - a process that began with the warning given to residents of the Zeitoun neighborhood to evacuate south, towards the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.

In fact, Netanyahu received the green light from US President Donald Trump for a move to cut trees in the Gaza Strip - and in effect aligned himself with the demands of Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Prime Minister's Office claims that it is now impossible to release the hostages in a deal, partial or total, and believes that in the current situation, Israel does not have time for encirclement and attrition, as the army suggests, because the hostages could die of starvation.

The Chief of Staff's warning

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir will try to convince the ministers not to choose the option of occupying the Strip. He will warn that this option will endanger the lives of the hostages, wear down the army, and could drag Israel into the Gaza quagmire. Zamir will recommend choosing the option of encircling Gaza City and the central camps and continuing the raids by commando units, and then allowing negotiations to be exhausted for a hostage deal.

The prime minister, on the other hand, will tell the cabinet that the method used so far of raids, entries and exits, has failed and failed to lead to the release of the hostages. Sources who spoke with him were impressed that he is determined to carry out a full occupation and that this is not a spin or tactical exercise to pressure Hamas.

Netanyahu was convinced that there was no escape from occupation and the defeat of Hamas, which would increase the chances of rescuing the hostages and not harm them. They said that it was precisely the continuation of the current situation that would endanger the hostages, who in the meantime could die of starvation, as is clearly seen in the horror videos of Eviatar David and Rom Breslavsky.

Those who object to the occupation of the Gaza Strip

Senior government officials said that any proposal Netanyahu brings forward will win a large majority in the government, but alongside this assessment, reservations could come from Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri - who has no right to vote and does not serve as a minister. Deri cut short his vacation in Switzerland and will return to Israel to participate in the discussion, and Ynet learned that he is trying to mediate a compromise between the army's position and Netanyahu's, in favor of a graduated military action that would not include an immediate occupation of the entire Strip.

Saar, who has so far favored the option of encirclement and exhaustion and exhausting negotiations for a deal - the plan supported by Chief of Staff Zamir - returned to Israel from a quick visit to New York where he appeared before the Security Council. Those around him said that he would hear the plans and all the options in the cabinet, and then express his position and make a decision.

In the past, ministers Miri Regev and Gila Gamliel have also presented positions in favor of a deal, but this fact will not necessarily translate into opposition from the two to the move to occupy the Strip. Either way, it can be estimated that the ministers will demand to know whether it is possible to guarantee that the lives of the hostages will not be in danger if the IDF takes such a drastic step.