TEHRAN – Strong opposition has emerged within the Israeli regime against a cabinet decision to invade and occupy Gaza City. 

Despite warnings by senior Israeli military officials and politicians, the regime’s security cabinet on Thursday, August 7, approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to occupy Gaza City. 

The cabinet meeting was marked by a heated exchange between the Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, and the Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir. Zamir warned of the complex nature of the plan, its consequences, and the heightened risks to the lives of Israeli captives.

According to Hebrew media, Ben Gvir fired back sharply: “Stop talking to the media and learn from the police how to follow political directives,” referring to the occupation army’s obligation to carry out the political leadership’s decisions without hesitation.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed this stance, insisting on the need for “complete victory” and rejecting any “temporary deal”. 

Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the cabinet’s decision, calling it a “disaster that will lead to more disasters.”

He argued that, contrary to the military’s position, “Ben Gvir and Smotrich dragged Netanyahu into a long-term operation that could result in the deaths of hostages and many soldiers.”

Lapid also warned that the move would cost Israeli taxpayers tens of billions of shekels and lead to a diplomatic collapse.

The Israeli political-security cabinet voted in favor of Netanyahu’s proposal, which includes preparing Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to “take control” of Gaza City in the northern part of the Strip.

 
The plan is based on five promises:
• The disarming of Hamas
• The return of all the captives
• The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip
• Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip
• The establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority

According to the regime’s Channel 12, an Israeli official stated “the goal is to evacuate all residents of Gaza City to camps in the central and southern parts of the Strip, and other areas.” 

The official added that the planned operation would involve a full military siege and the IOF’s complete control over the city.

These steps are part of the regime’s broader strategy to achieve what it calls the “defeat of Hamas”. Northern Gaza has faced similar invasions and blockades over the past 22 months to eliminate the Palestinian resistance but ultimately failed. 

Netanyahu’s office issued a statement outlining the plan, but it left many questions unanswered? such as the timeline or the number of IOF troops involved amid reports the regime’s soldiers are “exhausted”.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz noted that the statement avoided using the word “occupation,” which carries legal implications regarding the treatment of civilians and the prohibition on forced relocation. Instead, it used the more ambiguous term “control”. 

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian residents, who had been forcibly relocated during the genocide, are believed to be living in makeshift camps inside Gaza City. They returned to the north following a six-week ceasefire, which the Israeli regime broke on 18 March, 2025. 

A group representing friends and family members of the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza accused the Israeli government of sentencing “the living hostages to death and the fallen hostages to disappearance.”

In a statement, it said: “The cabinet decision to launch the process of occupying the [Gaza] Strip is an official declaration of the abandonment of the hostages, while completely ignoring the repeated warnings by the military echelon and the clear desire of most of the public in Israel.”

Hebrew newspaper Maariv reported organizations like Hamas “do not surrender. Such a thing does not exist. It’s not on their agenda; Hamas has never and will never surrender.” 

It added, “You cannot defeat a movement with a popular base at the press of a button.” 

Also, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth stated, “The decision by the political-security cabinet in favor of occupying Gaza – despite opposition from Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir – was met with discontent from the opposition. Leaders of parties outside the coalition launched consecutive attacks on Netanyahu, warning of endangering the hostages and Israeli soldiers.”

Hamas described the Israeli regime’s plan to occupy Gaza City as a “new war crime”, warning the operation would cost it “dearly”.

“The Zionist cabinet’s approval of plans to occupy Gaza City and evacuate its residents constitutes a new war crime that the occupation army intends to commit against the city. We warn the criminal occupation that this criminal adventure will cost it dearly and will not be an easy journey.”

Hamas also warned the occupation would amount to “sacrificing” the hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory.

The group said that the “decision to occupy Gaza confirmed” that Netanyahu and his government “do not care about the fate of their captives”.