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'Occupy entire Gaza or resign': Netanyahu tells IDF chief, reports Israeli media as talks with Hamas stall
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to completely occupy the Gaza Strip and escalate the offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli media.
The development has come at a time when the outrage against the hunger crisis in Gaza, a result of Israel's policy to restrict the flow of aid into the strip, is rising by the day. Moreover, the outrage over attacks on Palestinians at food distribution sites, which are blamed on Israel, is also rising.
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The Jerusalem Post has reported a source in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as saying that Netanyahu reached the decision for the full occupation of Gaza in a government meeting on Monday.
Israel's occupation of Gaza would essentially mean the collapse of diplomatic means to end the ongoing war and the death of any diplomatic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the two-state solution.
Netanyahu chooses war, closes diplomacy
The Post has reported that the PMO told Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir that if the government's decision does not suit him, he should resign from his post.
Under the plan finalised by Netanyahu, the Israeli military will also operate in areas where Israeli hostages are expected to be, potentially endangering their lives in Israeli bombardment. Previously, there have been cases when Israeli bombing has killed hostages.
Separately, Hebrew-language Ynet news website reported a senior official close to Netanyahu as saying, 'The die is cast — we are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip.'
The development has come at a time when Netanyahu is facing intense opposition within Israel over his consolidation of power and failure to bring hostages home. He fired the country's attorney general on Monday, who had been overseeing yearslong corruption cases against him.
With the order of the complete occupation of Gaza, Netanyahu has also admitted that the strategy in the war so far has failed on every front. He has failed to defeat Hamas militarily, bring hostages home, or ensure order in Gaza and avert a humanitarian disaster.
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Last week, it had been reported that Israel was pursuing an 'all or nothing' deal with Hamas, which would have seen the end of the war and the return of all hostages at once instead of any phased arrangement. The decision to fully occupy Gaza essentially means that the deal has not gone through.
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