From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Lapid warns of disaster for Israel if IDF reoccupies Gaza, hostages tortured and killed
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid warns that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reported plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip will endanger the remaining Israeli hostages and saddle Israeli citizens with the long-term costs of ruling over millions of Palestinians.
“The direction in which the cabinet and government are heading will lead to all the hostages dying – of hunger, beatings and torture – or being killed during IDF operations,” Lapid says in a sharply worded statement.
His remarks come after reports that Netanyahu is leaning toward ordering the IDF to take full control of Gaza – despite opposition from within the military and defense establishment.
According to sources cited by Kan and Channel 12, such a move would place the roughly 20 surviving hostages at heightened risk of being executed or dying during combat operations, as troops close in on areas where they may be held.
“In exchange, we’ll be ruling over two million Palestinians—paying for their electricity and water, building them schools and hospitals with Israeli taxpayers’ money,” Lapid continues.”You annex — you pay. From that moment, everything is on us.”
“Reservists will continue paying the price of draft dodging,” he continues. “Taxpayers will pay the price of annexation.”
He warns that such a move would isolate Israel internationally and erase any hope of regional support for postwar reconstruction.
The Times of Israel Community.