Ministers admit after Gaza City takeover plan: Op. may not defeat Hamas or bring back hostages

Sources close to Smotrich criticized the decision, admitting that the proposal led by Netanyahu might sound promising but is, in reality, more of the same.

Several members of Israel’s Security Cabinet, who spoke with The Jerusalem Post following last night’s decision to launch an operation to capture Gaza City, acknowledged that the plan is unlikely to lead to Hamas’s defeat or the return of the hostages.

“This plan may be better than what Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir proposed, but it is still far from being a good plan,” said the ministers.

The plan approved last night includes the capture of Gaza City. In the first stage, Israel will attempt to evacuate the city’s one million residents to the south before beginning the military operation. Several Israeli officials admitted in conversations with The Post that the plan is essentially intended to pressure Hamas into agreeing to a deal.

Sources close to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized the decision, admitting that the proposal led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved by the Cabinet might sound promising but is, in reality, more of the same.

“This is not an operation to take control of the entire Gaza Strip, establish full military control, and achieve decisive victory—the only way to ensure long-term security and the return of the hostages,” said those close to Smotrich. “Instead, it’s a limited and dangerous operation aimed solely at bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table—an objective that is not a legitimate goal of war.”

Minister Bezalel Smotrich voted against the plan, while Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Minister of National Missions Ze’ev Elkin abstained. “The army is proposing a plan to end the fighting,” said Elkin. “They want to treat Gaza like the West Bank—with routine security operations. That’s not a war.” He added, “We must speak in terms of victory. If we settle for a temporary deal, it’s a defeat. We must not stop halfway. Hamas must pay a price for what it did.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir supported the operation itself but opposed allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and objected to the idea of a different governing body taking control of the Strip the day after. According to him, such a move “does not encourage emigration from Gaza.”

Removing return of hostages from objectives of war

During the meeting, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly said that following the approval of the plan, he “recommends removing the return of the hostages from the objectives of the war.”

Minister Ben Gvir responded: “Stop speaking to the media. We want a decisive victory. We all care about the hostages, but we also care about the soldiers and fighters who demand victory. There are constant leaks from military sources. You are subordinate to the political echelon. Learn from the police how to follow orders from the elected leadership.”