Media: Israel’s PM weighs total Gaza occupation as ceasefire talks collapse

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to propose a full-scale military reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, according to reports from Israeli journalists, quoted by the BBC. 

The proposal is expected to be presented to the Israeli security cabinet in the coming days, marking a potentially dramatic escalation in the ongoing war.

A senior Israeli official reportedly said the government was preparing for “the full conquest” of Gaza with the objective of defeating Hamas once and for all. According to the same source, if the military leadership, including the chief of staff, opposes the plan, they should consider stepping down.

This reported stance has intensified tensions within Israel’s military and political establishment. Several senior army officials are believed to be against reoccupation, fearing both strategic pitfalls and risks to hostages still held in Gaza. Of the 50 Israeli hostages believed to remain in the territory, roughly 20 are thought to be alive.

Families of the hostages have voiced deep concern, arguing that any large-scale invasion would place their loved ones in further danger. Their fears are compounded by public sentiment, as polls show a strong majority of Israelis—around 75 per cent—now support a ceasefire and hostage deal over continued military action.

The proposed move has also drawn sharp criticism from former Israeli security officials. More than 100 retired officials, including past heads of Israel's intelligence agencies, have issued an open letter to US President Donald Trump urging him to pressure Netanyahu into ending the war.

Among the signatories was former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, who told the BBC that further military campaigns would achieve little. While Hamas has suffered militarily, he argued, its ideology is gaining traction both among Palestinians and throughout the broader Muslim world. Defeating that ideology, he said, would require offering Palestinians a vision of a better future.

The latest developments follow the collapse of indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas, and the release of three disturbing videos showing two Israeli hostages, Rom Blaslavski and Evyatar David, in visibly deteriorated condition. The two men were abducted during the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, 2023. One of the clips shows David digging what he claims is his own grave inside a tunnel.

Analysts have speculated that the threat of a full-scale reoccupation might be intended as a pressure tactic aimed at Hamas, rather than an immediate military decision. However, the Israeli military claims it already controls 75 per cent of Gaza and would now expand its operations into densely populated central zones, home to more than two million displaced Palestinians.

What this would mean for civilians and humanitarian operations remains uncertain. Aid agencies and UN officials say nearly 90 per cent of Gaza’s population has been displaced, many repeatedly, and are now living in catastrophic conditions. Accusations continue to mount that Israel is obstructing the delivery of critical humanitarian supplies, and many in the international community warn that further escalation would deepen the crisis.

In the past, Israeli forces have hesitated to advance into certain areas of central Gaza due to the suspected presence of live hostages. That caution was shaped in part by a deadly precedent last year, when six Israeli hostages were executed by their captors after the army entered the area.

While the Netanyahu government has not formally confirmed the reoccupation proposal, the Palestinian Authority swiftly condemned the reports, warning that a return to military rule in Gaza would be a disaster and calling on global powers to intervene. Palestinian officials accuse far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition of seeking not just to retake the territory but to annexe it outright and build new Jewish settlements.

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, dismantling settlements and pulling out its military forces. However, since then, it has maintained tight control over Gaza’s borders, in coordination with Egypt.

The renewed push for occupation comes as some Western powers—including the UK, Canada, and France—are signalling conditional recognition of a Palestinian state, as part of wider efforts to revive the long-stalled two-state solution. That vision, backed by much of the international community, envisions a future Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Netanyahu is now expected to convene a full meeting of his security cabinet to review military proposals, which reportedly include surrounding Gaza’s central refugee camps and launching targeted strikes and raids. Israeli Army Radio reported that these plans will form the basis of the discussions.

Israeli media commentary has been increasingly sceptical. Writing in Yedioth Ahronoth, senior columnist Nahum Barnea warned that Netanyahu may be taking the biggest gamble of his political career. After nearly two years of war, he wrote, the prime minister’s promises to achieve all of his objectives ring increasingly hollow. Barnea suggested Netanyahu’s primary aim may now be to prolong the war itself.

The conflict began after Hamas launched a large-scale assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Since then, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

By Tamilla Hasanova