Calcalist and Maariv reports highlight lack of exit strategy, rising internal dissent, and global legal risks.
Israel’s security cabinet is expected to meet Thursday to discuss a proposal to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip—a plan championed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but one that has sparked growing divisions between Israel’s political and military leadership, Israeli media reported.
The proposal, which reportedly outlines Netanyahu’s preferred operational approach, comes under mounting pressure from far-right ministers in his coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Settlement Minister Orit Strock, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, the Israeli military will present an assessment Thursday detailing the potential cost of such a move.
Sources cited by the newspaper warn that any attempt to expand operations in Gaza could result in the deaths of most Israeli captives held by Palestinian groups—either at the hands of their captors or due to Israeli airstrikes.
Military sources also indicated that a ground campaign to seize full control of the Strip would likely take at least three months and require the destruction of Hamas’ extensive tunnel network. After the occupation, they said, Israel would need to impose direct military rule over some 2.5 million Palestinians.
The Maariv report also warns that the territory is heavily mined and booby-trapped, according to Israeli intelligence, and that any incursion would encounter dense urban resistance. While Netanyahu reportedly envisions a rapid operation to decisively defeat Hamas, he has not presented any long-term plan for governing the territory.
Just imagine these scenes in Gaza 🇵🇸 were instead in a white Christian European country.
The world would mobilise.
Agree it is genocide and ethnic cleansing.
And send UN troops in.The support for Israel 🇮🇱, led by Trump 🇺🇸 & Starmer 🇬🇧, is racist. pic.twitter.com/ClG19XYL35
— Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) August 6, 2025
Sources speaking to the newspaper believe the ultimate aim of the far-right is not merely military victory but population expulsion and settlement expansion—objectives that go beyond the government’s declared war aims.
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has strongly opposed the reoccupation plan, calling it a strategic trap. He warned it would entangle the army for years and endanger the lives of Israeli captives. Instead, Zamir has proposed a containment strategy—encircling key parts of the Gaza Strip to exert military pressure on Hamas in hopes of securing prisoner releases without a full-scale invasion.
Zamir’s warnings also highlight the broader social and logistical cost to Israel. Military officials estimate that such a campaign would require the mobilization of tens of thousands of reserve troops and the redeployment of all active-duty combat units to Gaza.
Israel previously maintained an occupation of Gaza for 38 years, from 1967 until the 2005 disengagement.
Calcalist Sounds the Alarm
Meanwhile, Israel’s influential economic daily Calcalist has issued a stark warning against the proposed reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, describing it not as a military strategy, but as a historic gamble that could become Israel’s costliest mistake.
According to the report, more than 20 months into the war, and with Israel’s failure to meet its declared objectives, voices from within the military, economic, and security establishments are increasingly sounding the alarm. Experts warn that the proposed invasion lacks a clear strategy and is driven by ideological motives rather than practical planning.
According to a study by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies cited by Calcalist, the financial cost of reoccupation would range between 16 and 18 billion shekels annually (approximately $4.5–5 billion).
The deployment of multiple military divisions, maintenance of logistics, and long-term control over Gaza’s population would place enormous strain on Israel’s already stretched budget. Former finance official Shaul Klugman warned that the move would necessitate either deep civil spending cuts or steep tax hikes.
If you’re scrolling, PLEASE leave a dot.
Starvation. pic.twitter.com/balXNP7V9r
— Nermeen from Gaza 𓂆🇵🇸🍉 (@Nermeenalswaisi) August 4, 2025
Beyond economics, security officials caution that a return to Gaza would not resemble incursions into West Bank cities like Jenin. The Strip presents a far more dangerous and complex battlefield, with a high density of booby-trapped areas and significant shortages in manpower and equipment already plaguing the Israeli army.
Calcalist also warns that the international fallout could be severe. Global support for Israel has eroded sharply due to widespread reports of civilian casualties, and any attempt to retake Gaza could trigger investigations at the International Criminal Court.
The report draws comparisons with the US occupation of Iraq after 2003, arguing that Israel could find itself similarly bogged down in governing a hostile population under dire humanitarian conditions.
Internally, the move is also proving divisive. The army and Finance Ministry reportedly oppose the plan, but are being overridden by far-right political pressure. Closed-door cabinet meetings have revealed deep rifts, with opponents fearing Gaza could become “Israel’s Vietnam.”
(PC, AJA, Israeli Media)
zionists seem to think that israel is the only nation on this Planet Earth… the only people. Lost in their delusions of Mythical grandeur, they seem to think they are operating in a political and strategic vacuum…. They forget that the UN General Assembly is meeting in September, that the World’s Nations will be there, and that even major G-7 Nations are ready to Recognize Palestine… And once they do, they cannot change their mind on the issue… nor send weapons to a defiant zionist entity without losing their own national credibility. IF israel has a DEATH-wish, just let them try and occupy Gaza….. israel is a pip-squeak, a joke, a tiny rogue state and trump cannot save them!
You r much mistaken if y rate Israel a.pipsqueak- and if you think Trump cannot save them. A majority of Western governments (unprincipled shits) supports them and so many go along with oppression/war/genocide for economic reasons
Dondolf is just as guilty as the Jewish Nazis occupying Palestine. He starved babies to death, while spending millions of OUR dollars on his birthday parade, and extravagant dinners for his fellow corrupt politicians and pedos. And every US president has done the same, except Gerald Ford, he actually tried for peace. All the rest back to Herbert Hoover have supported the Zionist baby-killers: Jewish Nazis.
We The People are to blame for electing these war criminals. Lesson learned?
The consent is usually manufactured…by the usual suspects.
Will the US army, NATO, EU’s “army” (that’s a joke), and the Normalized, all rush to help “Israel”? About the NATO & EU: well, which? Ukraine or Israel. You’re too afraid of Russia and you already blew the wad for Ukraine so only have scraps to give to “Israel”. Will you pour what’s left of their Woke Army into Ukraine or “Israel”? Will your own people tear yourself apart? Macron, Stermer, and Menz don’t care: as long as they have cocaine.