Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned that occupying Gaza City could endanger prisoners’ lives and urged Netanyahu to accept a US-backed prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal, as Hamas accused the Israeli prime minister of sabotaging negotiations.
Israel’s Channel 13 reported on Sunday that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against proceeding with the plan to occupy Gaza City, citing a grave danger to the lives of Israeli prisoners held in the Strip.
Zamir urged Netanyahu to accept the latest proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
“There is a deal on the table for a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire—the modified Witkoff deal—and it must be accepted,” Zamir reportedly said. He added that the army had already created the conditions for a prisoner exchange with Hamas, stressing that the final decision now rests with Netanyahu.
Zamir noted that while the Israeli army could seize Gaza City, Hamas could retaliate by killing the prisoners. Channel 13 also reported that Zamir had earlier voiced concerns to naval commanders about continuing the military campaign in Gaza.
Last week, Israeli media said Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Zamir had endorsed plans to occupy Gaza City following the latest Security Cabinet decision.
The Israeli Prisoners’ Families Committee welcomed Zamir’s remarks, saying that a viable exchange deal exists and must be approved.
Scores Killed in Israeli Strikes as Gaza Famine Toll Nears 300
Gaza Occupation Plan
On August 8, the Israeli government approved Netanyahu’s plan to gradually reoccupy the Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City.
The strategy envisions displacing nearly one million Palestinians to the south before encircling Gaza City and launching raids into its residential neighborhoods.
As part of the plan, on August 11, Israeli forces carried out a large-scale assault on the Zeitoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City, involving home demolitions using booby-trapped robots, artillery fire, indiscriminate shooting, and forced displacement.
The decision to push forward with this plan comes despite ongoing indirect ceasefire negotiations. Hamas has accepted a proposal for a 60-day truce that includes the release of Israeli prisoners and remains of others in exchange for Palestinian detainees, followed by negotiations on a broader ceasefire.
Israel has begun calling up tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for the occupation of Gaza City.
Hamas Response
On Sunday, Hamas accused Netanyahu of deliberately obstructing a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. The group said his approval of the Gaza City operation, despite its acceptance of the mediators’ proposal, showed his intent to sabotage negotiations.
Hamas stressed that it had agreed to a partial deal and was open to a comprehensive agreement, but Netanyahu rejected all initiatives. The movement cited former US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller’s remarks as proof that Netanyahu had misled the public and negotiators alike.
The statement emphasized that a ceasefire is the only path to securing the prisoners’ release and held Netanyahu fully responsible for their fate. Hamas also argued that nearly two years of war had shattered Israel’s claims of “absolute victory.”
The group called for continued international and popular pressure to halt the genocide and famine in Gaza.
With US backing, Israel has carried out mass killings, starvation, and forced displacement in Gaza since October 7, 2023, in defiance of international calls and binding orders from the International Court of Justice to end its assault.
The war has left at least 62,686 Palestinians dead, 157,951 wounded—mostly women and children—over 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and 289 killed by famine, including 115 children.
(PC, AJA)
“He added that the army had already created the conditions for a prisoner exchange with Hamas.” and “calling up tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for the occupation of Gaza City.” — the Aug 8 “push” Zamir agreed but (I think) was a murder & sabre rattling to “spook” Hamas. Hamas does not spook.