Israel’s Security Cabinet convened on Thursday night for a decisive meeting to shape the next phase of the war in Gaza, amid a high-stakes and public debate between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the military’s top command.

The Security Cabinet decided by a “ decisive majority ” to approve Netanyahu’s plan to defeat Hamas, including controlling Gaza City, the premier’s office stated on Friday morning.

While Netanyahu pushed for a full military occupation of the entire Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly warned that such a move would be a “trap” that would endanger the lives of the remaining hostages.

The argument is over how IDF ground operations should extend into the approximately 25% of the Strip where the IDF has not yet o

See Full Page