Israel’s leadership is facing sharp divisions over the war in Gaza, as a leaked military report questioned the army’s readiness, families of hostages pressed for negotiations, and cabinet ministers clashed over whether to seize Gaza City or pursue a ceasefire deal.
A classified Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assessment, partially leaked to Israeli media, concluded that Operation Gideon’s Chariots—the four-month campaign that ended last month—failed to achieve its central objectives of toppling Hamas and securing the release of hostages. The document, circulated among brigades, criticized the campaign’s reliance on slow maneuvers, repeated tactical errors, and inadequate preparation for guerrilla warfare. It also cited mismanaged aid distribution, which Hamas exploited to mount a public relations offensive portraying Israel as deliberately starving civilians.
The report warned that the army remains ill-prepared for the next mission: a planned takeover of Gaza City. In response, the IDF said the leaked document was distributed without clearance and rejected claims that the operation’s goals were unmet. Still, the revelations have rattled confidence in the government’s military strategy.
Tensions boiled over at a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv that stretched late into the night. According to reports from Hebrew media, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told ministers, “There is a framework on the table, we must take it,” referring to a phased hostage-release and ceasefire plan backed by international mediators and recently accepted by Hamas. The plan calls for the release of 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in exchange for a 60-day truce, prisoner releases, and further negotiations.
Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force and finish this.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the proposal, saying “a partial deal is not relevant.” He told colleagues that US President Donald Trump had pressed him not to accept incremental agreements. “Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force and finish this,” Netanyahu quoted the American president as saying.
The disagreement laid bare deep divisions within Israel’s leadership. Zamir warned ministers that pressing forward with plans to seize Gaza City would drag Israel into a long-term occupation of the Strip. “You are heading to a military government,” he cautioned. “Your plan is leading us there. Understand the implications.”
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You are heading to a military government. Your plan is leading us there. Understand the implications.
He argued that capturing Gaza City would inevitably lead to the conquest of refugee camps in central Gaza, leaving Israel with no option but direct administration of the territory. Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs countered that a decision had already been made ruling out military government.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir dismissed Zamir’s concerns, suggesting instead: “Instead of a military government, encourage voluntary emigration.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was blunt in response to Zamir’s warning: “We made a decision.”
The debate soon shifted to the question of hostages. Ben Gvir demanded a vote to officially reject the phased deal, but Netanyahu refused, insisting no such agreement was formally on the table. Far-right ministers argued that anything short of Hamas’s total disarmament would amount to surrender, while others pressed for immediate action to bring captives home.
Currently, Israel believes 20 of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza remain alive. Since the war began in October 2023, only eight captives have been rescued in military operations.
Families of hostages have grown increasingly vocal. Anat Angrest, mother of captured soldier Matan Angrest, pleaded in a televised interview: “My son is still alive and I ask: Do not endanger any soldier to rescue him. Matan will not be able to live with this in peace, and neither will we. No one needs to die to save him. We need to reach a deal and return the hostages home.”
My son is still alive and I ask: Do not endanger any soldier to rescue him. We need to reach a deal and return the hostages home.
The cabinet meeting reportedly grew heated when Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock challenged Zamir directly, reciting a verse from Deuteronomy: “Is there anyone afraid and disheartened? Let him go back to his home, lest the courage of his comrades flag like his.” Zamir shot back, saying his missions included “preventing a nuclear Iran and destroying Hamas,” and added, “If you want blind discipline, bring somebody else.” Netanyahu intervened: “I don’t want blind discipline, but also not someone who oversteps.”
The confrontation spilled into the public sphere. Blue and White-National Unity leader Benny Gantz, a former IDF chief of staff, posted on X that Israelis “deserve a cabinet that backs the IDF, not one that puts spokes in its wheels.” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused Netanyahu of “sacrificing the hostages and the soldiers on the altar of his political survival.”
The disputes over military strategy have been compounded by domestic political fights. Ben Gvir escalated his ongoing battle with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, threatening to impose new restrictions on protests unless his proposals are approved within 24 hours. The attorney general’s office said the plan violates agreed limits on his authority to direct police operations, particularly in matters relating to freedom of expression. Ben Gvir dismissed the objections as “threats and extortion,” insisting that “determining policy in this context is the legal authority and even the duty of the national security minister.”
Meanwhile, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer raised the possibility of annexing parts of the West Bank, reportedly focusing on the Jordan Valley. European officials have warned that such a move would draw a harsh diplomatic backlash at a time when many Western governments are edging toward recognition of a Palestinian state.
The cumulative effect of these disputes has been to deepen uncertainty over Israel’s direction in Gaza. Supporters of a phased deal argue that securing the release of even some hostages is a moral and strategic imperative. Critics insist that only a comprehensive agreement that forces Hamas’s total disarmament will bring security.
Netanyahu’s insistence on rejecting incremental deals appears aligned with President Trump’s advice to apply maximum military pressure. But the leaked IDF assessment, Zamir’s warnings about the risks of direct rule, and the pleas of hostage families have raised questions about whether Israel’s leadership can maintain unity as it approaches what could be the decisive battle of the war.
For now, Israel is pressing ahead with plans for a Gaza City offensive, even as doubts swirl over its feasibility and its consequences. The fractures at the top—between the army and the cabinet, between hostage families and the government, between ministers and the attorney general—paint a picture of a nation at war with both its enemies and itself.