Israel’s war cabinet will meet on Tuesday to determine the next phase of its nine-month-old campaign in Gaza, amid mounting frustration over stalled hostage negotiations and worsening humanitarian conditions inside the enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, government hard-liners, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) agree that Hamas must be forced to capitulate, but they remain divided on how far the military should go—and how quickly.
According to Israel Hayom’s report, Egypt and Qatar have told Jerusalem that Hamas still refuses every proposal on the table, including the full release of roughly 50 remaining hostages in exchange for a sustained cease-fire and the gradual disarmament of Gaza.
Netanyahu vs. the Generals
A senior diplomatic official tells Israel Hayom that Netanyahu is now leaning toward a “combined military solution”—renewed large-scale operations coupled with expanded corridors for humanitarian aid. Yet IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and several senior commanders favor a slower “encirclement” strategy: tighten the siege around Hamas strongholds, starve the group of resources, and negotiate once the militants crack. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, by contrast, demand a full re-occupation of all of Gaza, even in tunnels where hostages may be held.
The Human Factor
Netanyahu met Sunday with Julian Larsson, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation, and urged immediate access to hostages, some of whom Israeli intelligence believes are suffering “systematic starvation and abuse.” The prime minister insists Hamas’s famine narrative is “a cynical ploy,” arguing that Hamas controls most food entering Gaza and exploits images of hungry civilians to pressure Israel diplomatically. The IDF says at least 28 of the remaining captives are presumed dead; families fear more will perish if the impasse drags on.
Inside Gaza, aid groups say famine conditions are no longer hypothetical. The controversial, U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has opened four distribution hubs, but at least 140 Palestinians have been killed near those sites since May, according to Hamas’s civil defense agency. Israel blames militant gunfire and chaotic crowds; witnesses blame IDF sharpshooters. Either way, food trucks are arriving in insufficient quantities, and Hamas refuses to bargain “until the hunger crisis is resolved,” says the senior Israeli official who briefed reporters Monday.
Hamas Reasserts Its Red Lines
On Saturday, Hamas released a defiant communiqué, vowing it “will not disarm as long as the occupation exists.” The statement, carried by the Times of Israel, dismissed U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s suggestion that Hamas had privately signaled readiness to demilitarize. Calling Washington “a partner in genocide and starvation,” Hamas pledged to keep fighting until an independent Palestinian state is recognized with Jerusalem as its capital. The group’s stance undercuts last week’s unprecedented Arab League appeal urging Gaza’s rulers to lay down their arms.
Diplomatic Erosion and Domestic Political Strains
Israel’s international standing is eroding fast, warns retired Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin in a scathing Jerusalem Post opinion column published Monday. What began in October 2023 as “the most justified war in Israel’s history,” Yadlin writes, is now viewed as “a never-ending war” with no political horizon. Even former U.S. president Donald Trump—once Israel’s most enthusiastic champion—has privately signaled impatience and wants a comprehensive deal, according to U.S. envoy Witkoff’s remarks to hostage families in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu must also navigate rising domestic criticism. Opposition lawmakers accuse him of privileging coalition unity over hostage lives, while coalition hawks accuse the army of dragging its feet. In a rare public rift, Netanyahu last week barred Chief of Staff Zamir from presenting an updated battle plan, fearing it would weaken political momentum for a major ground push. “We’ve reached a critical point,” the senior diplomatic source tells Israel Hayom. “Soon we decide whether Gaza remains a semi-autonomous terror enclave or becomes an Israeli security zone.”
The Emigration Gambit and What Happens Next
One idea gaining traction among ultranationalist ministers is Ben-Gvir’s proposal for “voluntary emigration” of Gazans to third countries. No state has agreed to absorb large numbers of Palestinians, and U.S. officials say the plan is a non-starter. Still, the topic will appear on Tuesday’s cabinet agenda, reflecting a growing sense in Jerusalem that the status quo—2.3 million civilians wedged between Hamas and the IDF—is untenable.
• The cabinet is expected to authorize a new wave of targeted raids and airstrikes while expanding GHF-protected aid corridors in central and southern Gaza.
• Israel and the United States are drafting “red-line maps” to delineate humanitarian zones off-limits to heavy weapons.
• Washington is pressing Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing for larger aid convoys, a move Cairo has resisted since Hamas seized the terminal in March.
• Mediators will make one last attempt this week to persuade Qatar-based Hamas leaders to accept a “hostages-first” package: immediate release of all captives, a 45-day truce, and a phased prisoner swap.
In any scenario, Israel’s security cabinet faces a stark choice: escalate militarily in the hope of shattering Hamas’s will—or embrace a risky political compromise that leaves the Islamist group battered but alive. Either path carries heavy costs: further battlefield casualties and diplomatic isolation on one side, or emboldened militants and a furious domestic backlash on the other. As one senior Israeli official put it, “Time has run out for half-measures. The next decision will shape the Middle East for years to come.
Photo: Generated by the Gemini AI.