Ministers Challenge Netanyahu’s US-Backed ‘Model City’ Plan: IDF Chief Says Hamas Must Surrender or Die
Security cabinet minister pushed back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week after he proposed a US-backed plan to build a demilitarized, rehabilitated “model city” on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line in Gaza, officials and reports said.
Netanyahu told ministers the settlement would be controlled by Israel, rebuilt for Palestinians and used to separate Hamas fighters from the civilian population. Residents, he said, would be vetted before entry. Several cabinet members interrupted and challenged the proposal during the meeting, with Gila Gamliel, Orit Strock, Ze’ev Elkin and Miri Regev among those voicing opposition, according to leaks from the session.
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The prime minister also indicated that an International Stabilization Force (ISF) would be deployed first in the Al Mawasi coastal area, which remains under de facto Hamas control, as part of a phased approach to security and reconstruction. Arab diplomats told The Times of Israel that the US has discussed stationing an ISF on the Hamas side of the Yellow Line, though it is uncertain whether countries would commit troops if the mandate allowed the force to use kinetic means to disarm Hamas.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has promoted a decommissioning and amnesty framework that would see fighters lay down arms without large-scale force, though officials say it is unclear whether Hamas leaders would accept such terms. Those tensions surfaced at the cabinet meeting, where Netanyahu’s proposal to permit safe passage and screening sparked objections over security risks.
Defense Minister Israel Katz suggested an alternative: exiling fighters found on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line to locations outside Gaza. That idea met resistance from within the military leadership. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly told ministers the options for those fighters were stark — they “must surrender or be killed,” according to attendees.
The debate highlights the difficulty of reconciling diplomatic pressure to normalize post-conflict governance with security concerns on the ground. The proposed model city is intended to advance the next phase of the US-brokered ceasefire plan, which envisions the demilitarization of Gaza and the transfer of authority to a technocratic Palestinian administration under international oversight. Ministers’ objections, however, signal that any move to implement such a plan will face intense domestic scrutiny and likely require further negotiation with international mediators.
