The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted an informed source (unnamed) as saying, "Netanyahu's intention is to occupy the Gaza Strip," noting that he held a closed-door meeting with a limited number of ministers and military officials that lasted three hours and discussed a plan to encircle Gaza City and the central refugee camps in the Strip.
In this context, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority stressed that the cabinet will hold additional sessions later (without specifying a date) to discuss expanding the fighting in Gaza, while Channel 12 indicated that the decision will allow the army to operate in areas it had previously refrained from storming for fear of killing Israeli prisoners.
The idea of "occupying Gaza" came after controversial statements by US President Donald Trump, in which he said that "Israel's decision to abandon Gaza twenty years ago was unwise," referring to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.
On the other hand, Netanyahu's office claimed that the Israeli occupation army is prepared to implement any decision made by the cabinet. It explained that during the meeting, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir presented options for continuing the war on Gaza, without providing details.
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Zamir opposed the occupation of Gaza during discussions with Netanyahu, but pledged to implement it. The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying, "Zamir made it clear that the Israeli army will take whatever action the political echelon decides," noting that the decision will be presented to the cabinet next Thursday.
The private channel quoted informed security sources as saying that Zamir informed those close to him that he "will not allow operations that could endanger the lives of prisoners," emphasizing the need for clear orders from the political level that serve the war's objectives.
Annexation of the West Bank
In a related development, the Israeli government presented US House Speaker Mike Johnson with "maps and documents" regarding how to impose sovereignty (annexation) over the occupied West Bank, according to Hebrew media reports.
The newspaper "Israel Hayom" reported that "Netanyahu met with Johnson yesterday, Monday, in the Shiloh settlement, northeast of Ramallah in the central West Bank, noting that Tel Aviv presented Johnson with maps and documents related to how to implement the imposition of Israeli sovereignty (annexation) over the West Bank." The newspaper did not discuss the nature of these maps and documents.
Annexing the West Bank would end the possibility of implementing the two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli), as stipulated in United Nations resolutions.
On Monday, Johnson made his first-ever visit to the settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank, during which he claimed that "Judea and Samaria (the biblical name for the West Bank) belong to the Jewish people."
On Tuesday, the Palestinian presidency condemned Johnson's visit to the Ariel settlement, built on Palestinian land, and stressed that his statements regarding the West Bank "violate international law."
In parallel with the genocide in Gaza, Israel has escalated its crimes, paving the way for its annexation of the West Bank, particularly through settlement expansion and the displacement of Palestinians from their occupied territories, according to Palestinian authorities and UN and international reports.
With American support, Israel has been waging a genocidal war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide left more than 211,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 9,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, and famine claimed the lives of many, including dozens of children.
