Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, has reportedly had a heated discussion with the IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir during a meeting, local media reports said.
The two were talking about a plan to evacuate civilians in Gaza and lay siege to its northern region, reports added further.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister of Israel, criticized Zamir for not fulfilling his duties as the commander. They added that this resulted in an Israeli failure at achieving complete victory in Gaza.
Netanyahu and IDF Chief Argue Over Gaza Plan
However, Zamir retaliated by arguing that “You always say there is a stalemate in the Strip. There is no stalemate…We’re doing exactly what you tasked us with. You certainly don’t need to be reminded that we have soldiers dying in battle,” reports quoted him as saying.
Netanyahu then ordered that the IDF should push the Gaza population to the south of the Strip. Reports added that Smotrich asked the IDF to lay siege to the north of the strip so that they can remove Hamas from Gaza as quickly as possible.
Who will govern 2 million people of Gaza? Zamir reportedly asked Netanyahu to which he replied that the IDF and Israel will do that.
Israel Says Hamas Will Not Rule Gaza Again
The Israeli prime minister then also warned that capturing the entire Gaza strip will result in the hostages being killed, and that he does not want it to happen.
Zamir said that controlling the hungry and angry people of Gaza could be difficult, which could create problems for the IDF.
However, Netanyahu is believed to have rejected Zamir’s suggestion and asked him to prepare an evacuation plan for Gaza residents before the ceasefire deal with Hamas is announced.
The Israeli Prime Minister reiterated that he will not allow Hamas to return to power in Gaza. He also claimed that the IDF will recover all the hostages currently with Hamas.
Also, the IDF claimed that it now controls around 65 percent of Gaza and has killed almost 100 Hamas operatives. This also includes its senior commander, Hakim al-Issa.
Also Read: US President Donald Trump Hopes Gaza Ceasefire Likely Next Week
