Israel’s security cabinet was thrown into turmoil late Sunday night as a fierce, six-hour debate exposed deep divisions over whether to proceed with a full-scale invasion of Gaza City or to pursue a partial cease-fire and hostage release deal currently on the table. The high-stakes meeting, held in Tel Aviv and stretching into the early hours of Monday, laid bare the rift between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top military brass, as well as the growing anxiety among hostage families and the wider Israeli public.
According to The Times of Israel, the session was dominated by the looming question of whether to greenlight the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) plans to seize control of Gaza City—believed to be the last major stronghold of Hamas—despite warnings from military leaders that such a move could lead to a prolonged occupation and put both soldiers and hostages at greater risk. Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who has consistently voiced skepticism about the wisdom of a Gaza City takeover, forcefully urged the cabinet to consider the alternative: a phased cease-fire and hostage release deal, which Hamas had signaled willingness to accept on August 18, 2025.
“You are heading to a military government,” Zamir reportedly cautioned the ministers, as quoted by Ynet. “Your plan is leading us there. Understand the implications.” He argued that the current military strategy lacked a clear exit plan and would likely entangle Israel in a long-term occupation of the Strip. Zamir also insisted that the IDF’s recent Operation Gideon’s Chariots—an offensive that saw Israel take control of roughly 75% of Gaza—had already applied enough pressure to make a negotiated solution possible. “There is a framework on the table, [and] we must take it,” Zamir told the cabinet, according to Channel 12.
The proposed deal, as reported by i24NEWS and corroborated by multiple outlets, would see 10 living hostages released along with the remains of 18 deceased captives, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a 60-day cease-fire. During this period, both sides would negotiate for the release of the remaining hostages—estimated to number around 20, with 10 to 12 believed still alive—and work toward a permanent end to the war, now approaching its 23rd month.
Despite support from Zamir and several ministers—including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel, who cited mounting diplomatic pressures as a key factor—Prime Minister Netanyahu flatly rejected the proposal. He refused to allow a vote on the deal, stating that it was “not on the table.” Netanyahu’s position, as reported by The Times of Israel, was heavily influenced by direct pressure from US President Donald Trump, who, according to the prime minister, insisted that “piecemeal deals” were no longer acceptable. “Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force and finish this,” Netanyahu quoted Trump as saying during the closed-door meeting.
Netanyahu’s hardline stance was echoed by members of his far-right coalition, some of whom demanded an official vote to reject the deal outright. Settlements Minister Orit Strock went so far as to accuse Zamir of cowardice, citing a biblical verse: “Is there anyone afraid and disheartened? Let him go back to his home, lest the courage of his comrades flag like his.” Zamir retorted that his dual missions were “preventing a nuclear Iran and destroying Hamas,” and insisted that he was not shirking his duty. “If you want blind discipline, bring somebody else,” he declared, prompting Netanyahu to interject, “I don’t want blind discipline, but also not someone who oversteps [his authority].”
Throughout the meeting, Strock and others argued that military operations must not avoid areas where hostages are believed to be held, even if it increases the risk to their lives. “There must be no ‘don’t touch me’ zones in Gaza because this endangers the residents of the Gaza Envelope and all residents of the south,” Strock asserted, according to i24NEWS. “To win the war, we must also take control of these areas and not leave them as bubbles of terror above and below the ground.” She added, “A great effort must be made to ensure that the kidnapped people there are not harmed, but it is not right to avoid defeating Hamas there.”
The fallout from the cabinet meeting was immediate and intense. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of those still held by Hamas, condemned Netanyahu’s decision to move away from a partial deal. In a statement quoted by The Times of Israel, the group said, “Netanyahu, the father of phased releases, founder of the ‘selections’ method, opposes the method that he initiated and the agreement he already approved.” They accused the prime minister of “deliberately obstructing a concrete proposal that Hamas has indicated willingness to accept,” and warned that “rejecting it outright places our soldiers and our hostages in jeopardy.” The forum’s statement went further, alleging that “Netanyahu is sacrificing the hostages and the soldiers on the altar of his political survival, at a time when an actual deal is on the table, approved by Hamas, that could turn into a framework to return the last of the hostages and end the war.”
Public pressure on the government has also been mounting. Nightly protests continued in Tel Aviv, with demonstrators demanding that the government accept the cease-fire and hostage release deal. Many families of the hostages have become increasingly vocal, accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing his political goals over the lives of their loved ones. As reported by Reuters, these families believe that the government’s refusal to consider partial deals amounts to abandoning those still in captivity.
Meanwhile, the cabinet’s focus on strategy rather than tactics—an unusual shift, as noted by Haaretz—highlighted the gravity of the current moment. Defense chiefs made clear to Netanyahu that a Gaza City takeover would not necessarily defeat Hamas and could, in fact, deepen Israel’s entanglement in the Strip. Likud minister David Amsalem reportedly warned that the planned expansion of the war could turn Gaza “into Israel’s Vietnam.”
Despite the heated debate, Zamir assured the cabinet that the IDF would carry out whatever instructions it receives from the political echelon, even if it disagrees with them—a stance that reportedly won him praise from some quarters, according to Israel Hayom. Netanyahu, however, admonished Zamir for what he alleged were leaks to the media from closed-door consultations, accusing him of harming unity and morale. “Debates can happen behind closed doors, but outside, there must be a united front and an iron fist,” Netanyahu reportedly told the IDF chief.
As Israel ramps up airstrikes in the Gaza enclave and prepares for the possibility of a ground invasion, hundreds of thousands of refugees remain sheltering in the city, their fate uncertain. The cabinet’s decision—or lack thereof—on whether to pursue a negotiated solution or press ahead with military action will have profound implications not just for the hostages and their families, but for the future of the conflict itself.
With the clock ticking and the stakes higher than ever, the Israeli leadership faces a stark choice: continue down the path of escalation, or seize the opportunity for a deal that could bring at least some of the hostages home and offer a glimmer of hope for peace.
