Lapid says he told PM in security briefing that occupying Gaza is ‘a very bad idea’

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a security briefing this morning that occupying Gaza would be “a very bad idea.”

“You don’t send the State of Israel to war unless the majority of the people are behind you, and the people of Israel are not interested in this war,” he says he told the premier.

He says the price of such a move would be “too heavy” for Israel to bear, both financially and in the number of casualties it would likely lead to.

Instead of engaging in the “pointless occupation” of the Gaza Strip, Lapid says Israel should allow Arab countries to govern the enclave, freeing up Israel to take the time it needs to eliminate Hamas.

ראש האופוזיציה יאיר לפיד בסיום הפגישה עם ראש הממשלה נתניהו: "אמרתי לנתניהו – כיבוש עזה זה רעיון רע מאוד, לא יוצאים למהלך כזה אלא אם רוב העם מאחוריך, עם ישראל לא מעניין במלחמה הזו. נשלם עליה מחירים כבדים מדי"@gilicohen10 @diklaaharon pic.twitter.com/9PUoBonBcu

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 6, 2025