The Israeli Chief of Staff, General Aal Zamir, held the first meeting of senior army leaders after the Cabinet approval of the complete occupation plan for Gaza City. The meeting ended with axes of shrinking from the original plan that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes.
An independent military plan
The meeting revealed that the army went to implement the plan according to its vision, after ignoring previous warnings from the military leaders, which threatens a sharp disagreement with the political leadership that insists on implementing the comprehensive occupation, according to Hebrew sources.
Planning may take months
According to the newspaper “Yediot Aharonot”, planning the new process may take months, and the reserve may be postponed to avoid exceeding the red lines set by Zamir, the most prominent of which is to avoid operations in the hostages detention areas and provide “speed safety.”
Anxiety about the date of October 7
The army is concerned about the date of October 7 set by Netanyahu as a date for launching. Military estimates believe that the occupation will be slow and gradual, while “Hamas” remains alive for months, which opens the door for an exchange deal.
Netanyahu prolongs the war … and the army seeks to postpone
The evaluation within the military establishment states that Netanyahu is seeking to prolong the war for political reasons, while the exhausted army seeks to gain time and avoid collapse.
Gideon vehicles are continuing
Until the start of the new operation, the regular forces will continue to carry out operations in the style of “Gideon”, through limited raids around Gaza, in what will be marketed as a preliminary stage of the operation.
Red lines for the army
Zamir emphasized that there are red lines that cannot be exceeded, including the protection of the hostages and the safety of the soldiers, and the failure to summon the reserves during the next two months.
Prohibited areas
The army described the hostages of hostages as “complex” and prohibited for operations since November 2023. Zamir adheres to the principle of “safety before speed” despite criticism.
Difficulties in evacuating civilians
The newspaper pointed out that the slow clearance of civilians affects the pace of operations, as the army noted the difficulty of removing the residents even with the launch of warnings, which delays progress.
Fears of political exploitation
The army is afraid that Netanyahu will hire the military move to achieve political gains. The date of October 7 gives him an opportunity to make a hostage deal and present it as a political achievement.
Commitment to international law
Zamir affirms the army’s commitment to international law, contrary to the undisciplined operations in the past months that have caused harsh criticism.
Challenges in calling the forces
The leaders discussed the selection of the forces from 4 teams, including a reserve group. Zamir pledged to reduce pressure on the reserve after a 22 -month exhaustion.
Low attendance in the ranks of reserves
Although “No. 8” was not activated yet, many of the reserve soldiers have informed their leaders that they would not respond to the summons in July and August, due to the summer vacation, causing the attendance to less than 70% in several battalions.
