IDF chief said to warn plan to conquer Gaza will lead to ‘military government’

In the heated cabinet meeting last night over the next steps in war in Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that the plan to conquer Gaza City will drag Israel into a full-fledged occupation of the Strip, the Ynet news site reports.

“You are heading to a military government,” said Zamir. “Your plan is leading us there. Understand the implications.”

“Your decision to conquer Gaza City — and afterwards this will lead to the conquest of the refugee camps in central Gaza — and then it will be a military government, because there will be no other body that could take responsibility for the population,” continued Zamir.

According to the report, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs pushed back, saying that a decision had been made already that there would be no military government in Gaza.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said, “Instead of a military government, encourage voluntary emigration.”

“Understand the implications,” Zamir repeated, to which Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded, “We made a decision.”

At that point, according to the report, Ben Gvir called for a vote on a partial hostage deal, in order to prove that the majority of the cabinet opposed it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused, saying that there was no deal on the table and effectively dismissing the phased hostage deal set out by mediators that Hamas said it had agreed to earlier this month.

Israel has said it will only consider a comprehensive deal that would see Hamas lay down its arms and release all of the hostages.