EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Israel’s leading military official, reportedly opposes a complete military occupation of Gaza, advocating instead for the Witkoff plan’s implementation, according to three high-ranking sources, as discussions intensify regarding Israel’s future actions.
A former senior Israel Defense Forces official stated, “The chief of staff is maintaining his professional assessment, informed by his experience in this conflict.” This official added, “He informed the cabinet recently that although the IDF is ready for a ground operation, the appropriate strategy is to secure an agreement for the release of all captives and to engage in talks. Such an operation now risks the hostages, as was evident in Tel Sultan.”
The 2024 Tel Sultan incident in Rafah represents a critical juncture in Israel’s decision-making process. During that engagement, hostages, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were endangered as Israeli forces closed in, emphasizing the perils of a substantial ground operation before all negotiation avenues are exhausted.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently stated that Israel’s aim “is not to occupy Gaza. Our aim is to liberate Gaza, to free it from Hamas terrorists,” asserting that capturing Gaza City is imperative because Hamas refuses to disarm. He has maintained that this represents the sole approach to secure the freedom of those still held captive in Gaza.
However, the former senior official informed Digital that military leverage has already led Hamas back to the Witkoff framework established on July 29. “The framework ought to be embraced, and Washington should comprehend the chief’s stance as it was conveyed to the cabinet. Hamas is currently prepared to adhere to those terms. The chief of staff is against military governance in Gaza and believes Israel should plan for the post-conflict period and devise a political resolution accordingly. The IDF can resume combat after such an accord, if required.”
In response, a spokesperson from the Prime Minister’s Office communicated to Digital: “The Israeli cabinet chose to proceed with the operational plan that the chief of staff himself put forward.”
A recent report cited a source characterized as “connected to the president’s national security team,” who suggested that Tuesday’s attack on Hamas’s leadership in Doha might have been a deliberate action to impede negotiations. “Each time headway is being made, it appears he [Netanyahu] orders a bombing,” the source was quoted as saying in the dispatch.
The officials verified to Digital that both the IDF chief of staff and the Mossad director objected to the timing of the strike. “The plan had been under development for a long time, but there was no justification for selecting this precise moment rather than awaiting Hamas’s reply in the discussions,” one stated, further noting that “that determination, along with the choice to persist with the Gaza operation, contradicts the counsel of professional ranks.”
A second individual acquainted with cabinet discussions confirmed that the chief of staff restated his viewpoint last Friday and once more yesterday within both the Security Cabinet and the Foreign Affairs and Defense subcommittee. “He has unambiguously stated that the Witkoff plan is sound,” the source remarked, detailing its provisions: a 60-day Israeli pullout in return for the freeing of 10 living hostages and 15 deceased individuals, with Israel retaining the right to recommence hostilities if Hamas breaches the agreement.