Key Points and Summary – After 22 months of war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly preparing to propose the “full reoccupation” of the Gaza Strip.
-However, it remains uncertain if this is a serious plan, a negotiating ploy, or a political move to appease his right-wing coalition.
-The proposal comes as hostage negotiations in Doha have stalled and has sparked opposition from hostage families.
-Meanwhile, hundreds of former Israeli government officials have written to U.S. President Trump, arguing Hamas is no longer a strategic threat and urging him to pressure Netanyahu to end the war.
Israel About to Move on Gaza for Good?
More than 22 months into Israel’s war in Gaza, and amid a starvation crisis in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to propose “fully reoccupying the Gaza Strip,” according to Israeli media reports cited by The BBC.
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday that Netanyahu “has reached a decision for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, including operations in areas where hostages are held,” citing a source in the prime minister’s office.
The Die Has Been Cast
However, whether the prime minister is genuinely serious about the proposal, is taking a maximal position as a negotiating ploy, or is merely attempting to stave off defections from the right flank of his governing coalition remains uncertain.
“The die has been cast. We’re going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas,” was a quote for which The BBC used the bizarre attribution “local journalists quote a senior official as saying.”
“If that doesn’t work for the chief of staff, he should resign,” the same unnamed official told The BBC.
Most reports, however, show that this is not the consensus position of Israel’s government. And the families of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza are said to fear such plans could endanger those hostages.
Israel, per the report, currently has “operational control” of 75 percent of Gaza, with more than 2 million Palestinians now concentrated in the remaining quarter. It’s not clear what would happen to the Gaza population should Israel take full control of the territory.
No Deal for Israel and Hamas
Representatives of Israel and Hamas have been meeting in Doha, Qatar, but have not reached a deal on hostages.
The Jerusalem Post also reported that Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had returned to the U.S. to meet with the president, and that there is “a broad consensus that a deal must include all the hostages.”
Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Moscow this week in a push to reach a deal between Ukraine and Russia, ahead of Trump’s set Friday deadline to impose secondary tariffs on Russia’s oil partners.
A Key Meeting
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Netanyahu would be discussing his Gaza plans Today with his top defense officials, and Defense Minister Israel Katz had promised to “professionally implement” whatever was decided.
After two days of media reports from around the world that the prime minister was planning to take that step, he had not yet confirmed it as of Tuesday afternoon U.S. time, although the prime minister’s office did release a statement.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today , held a three-hour security discussion, in which options for proceeding with the campaign in Gaza were presented by the IDF Chief-of-Staff,” the prime minister’s office announced in a statement Tuesday. “The IDF is prepared to carry out any decision made by the Security Cabinet.”
A Letter to End the War
The BBC also reported that hundreds of former government officials in Israel have written a letter to President Donald Trump, calling on him to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza.
“It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” the letter states. “Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: End the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering.”
Additionally, hundreds of artists have signed a letter calling on Israel to end the war in Gaza.
“Against our values and will, we find ourselves complicit in the horrific actions carried out by our government in Gaza: the killing of children and civilians, policies of starvation, mass displacement, and the senseless destruction of entire cities,” the letter, signed by over 1,000 artists, states, per the Times of Israel.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
Military Problems
No F/A-XX Fighter? Say Goodbye to the Aircraft Carrier
Swamplaw Yankee
August 6, 2025 at 4:29 am
This whole “drama” needs a breath of reality. The actors may shout, “This is not a drama” but, out in MSM land, it is.
The MSM shows every side walking about anywhere in Israel without a single drone to worry about. It is like going back decades in time, say to the old Sinai war.
Every side needs to send its senior people for a full 7 day stay in downtown Kherson, Ukraine. If they survive the “Human Safari” orc russian drone hunters for 7 days, suddenly, the next phase of GAZA/Israel will become evident.
Every day the huge distances of Ukraine become nothing as Putin 24/7 aims his drones to kill as many Ukrainian civilians as possible. The brisk evolving ability of the tech in drones makes distance less and less of a factor.
Israel: there is no huge distance. Any neighbour’s nearby real estate can harbour a site for a drone fleet launch site. Lethal “Low air” is the missing element in Israel. Unbelievers: Check out that lethal drone power with a 7 day stay in Kherson’s Human Hunting downtown. -30-