Netanyahu faces opposition over Gaza occupation plan as Israeli politicians stake their positions

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Akram Chehayeb

Attempts to convince Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop what security officials call his “absurd” plan to occupy Gaza have so far failed. Even heartfelt pleas from the families of hostages for a deal have failed to make a difference.

Netanyahu is determined to occupy the Gaza Strip, and he has tasked the army to prepare six military divisions and brigades to enter Gaza, with a plan divided into multiple stages.

The first phase will take at least five months, during which the army will occupy Gaza City and camps in the center, which are densely populated areas. According to military estimates, these areas are covered with mines and improvised explosive devices, which will lead to hundreds of deaths and injuries among the soldiers.

At the end of this phase, the army is set to complete its plan to occupy all of Gaza. It also includes the transfer of the population to the southern part of the Strip and to what is now being called the “humanitarian city.”

The most dangerous aspect of this phase is the fate of the living hostages.

While Netanyahu is trying to convince the majority of his plan, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who has reservations about the plan, has returned from Washington.

Shas Party Chairman Aryeh Deri has also returned from Switzerland and is now working to broker a compromise between Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan and that of Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. The proposed middle ground would hold off on a full-scale occupation of Gaza—just ahead of the upcoming Cabinet session.

Meanwhile, coalition ministers have gone beyond simply backing a reoccupation.

In any case, the war in Gaza continues with no deal on hostages in sight and no end in the near future. Military operations in the tunnels—still undisclosed by the army—are expected to take at least two more years.