Israel Reportedly Set To Operate In Areas Where Hostages Are Being Held As Part Of Move To Occupy Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly decided to occupy the Gaza Strip, a move that includes operating in areas where hostages are being held and could potentially put them in further danger.

The Jerusalem Post detailed on Monday that a source in the Prime Minister's Office confirmed the plan, which could be pursued against the wishes of Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. "If this does not suit you, then you should resign," the outlet says the government told the general.

49 hostages are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Several local outlets have confirmed the decision to occupy the enclave, escalating the conflict even further. The development comes after negotiations to achieve a ceasefire collapsed yet again in July.

Reuters noted that U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said last Saturday that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan to effectively end the war in the enclave.

The outlet quoted another senior Israeli official who said that after the meeting "an understanding was emerging between Washington and Israel" on a need to shift from a partial deal to one that would "release all the hostages, disarm Hamas, and demilitarize the Gaza Strip."

However, the official later added that pursuing a deal would be pointless, claiming that "Hamas is not interested in a deal and therefore the prime minister is pushing to release the hostages while pressing for military defeat."

Local outlet Haaretz also reported on Friday that his government has the backing of the Trump administration to begin annexing the strip if Hamas doesn't agree to a ceasefire proposal.

The first areas to be annexed would be those in the buffer zone, followed by some in the northern part close to the cities of Sderot and Ashkelon. It would continue progressively until the whole strip is annexed. It is not clear what would happen to the two million Palestinians living in Gaza.

The Netanyahu government could move forward despite warnings from almost 20 former senior security officials, who on Sunday issued a joint video calling for the war to end. They argued that Israel has lost more than it won and that the fighting has continued for political reasons rather than military ones.