In closed-door cabinet meetings held Sunday and Monday night, IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that continued military operations in Gaza could endanger the lives of the hostages still held by Hamas. “This is the most complex war we’ve faced,” Zamir reportedly told ministers. “There’s a clash between continuing the maneuver and the fate of the hostages—we may be putting them at risk.” He added that the hostages are suffering “severe abuse” and their condition is “very grave.”
His remarks sparked outrage from far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir argued that escalating military pressure would help, not harm, efforts to recover the hostages. Smotrich echoed that sentiment, saying, “We also want the hostages back, but we’re not willing to sacrifice the entire country. The IDF is misleading the political leadership on what should be done.” The two also criticized Zamir over the continued flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, accusing the military of enabling resources to reach Hamas.
In other words, not much has changed since Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi left office on January 21. Before we proceed, there are two good reasons why, despite his combative demeanor and promises to annihilate Hamas in the very near future, Chief of Staff Zamir is sounding like his predecessor.
EYAL ZAMIR’S HUNCHBACK
Two senior military officials have become focal points of frustration among cabinet members over what they see as obstructive decisions during the Gaza war.
One is Major General Ghassan Alian, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), who reportedly defied a cabinet directive issued earlier this week to suspend humanitarian aid to Gaza until safeguards could be put in place to prevent Hamas from seizing the shipments. Despite the order, Alian instructed that the aid continue—much of which, as expected, ended up in Hamas’s hands.
The other is Chief Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who has come under fire for allegedly restricting IDF operations with overly stringent legal constraints. Critics accuse her of launching aggressive investigations against soldiers for killing Hamas terrorists, and claim her strict rules of engagement and emphasis on limiting collateral damage have contributed to battlefield hesitations and, in some cases, the deaths of Israeli soldiers.
During the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich directly confronted Zamir, saying: “It’s indisputable that the cabinet issued a directive to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Hamas, and the IDF failed to carry it out. Every truck that ends up in Hamas’s hands represents a failure of the army.”
And National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also criticized Zamir, saying: “We’re just doing more of the same—shuffling in place. The plans presented to us are entirely disconnected from what’s actually happening on the ground. Let the IDF operate freely. There has never been a precedent for a war where victory is delayed because of hostages.”
He emphasized that the top priority must be defeating Hamas to prevent future kidnappings: “The only way to bring back as many hostages as possible now is to reintroduce pressure—halt humanitarian aid and let the army operate across the entire Strip.”
IT’S MADNESS
At one point during the discussion, Zamir morphed into Herzi Halevi, as Smotrich insisted: “We need to create a humanitarian zone south of Netzerim and relocate the population from the north there, enabling a swift military maneuver to overwhelm Hamas in unpopulated areas. The army should have done this two months ago—what have you been doing since then?”
Zamir fired back, “Controlling a million and a half people will be extremely difficult. Their mass movements could put our forces at risk.”
And once again, we’re faced with an IDF leadership that excels more at explaining why actions can’t be taken than at actually carrying them out.
About a week ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz ordered the defense establishment to deliver a plan within 48 hours to prevent Hamas from looting those humanitarian aid trucks. Yet, as of Tuesday, several days past the deadline, the IDF has neither presented a plan nor communicated any measures to the political leadership on how it intends to stop Hamas from seizing aid shipments.
The urgency escalated last Thursday night after a viral video showed Hamas militants openly commandeering aid trucks in broad daylight. In response, the Prime Minister’s and Defense Minister’s offices issued a dramatic joint statement demanding immediate action from the IDF.
More than 80 hours have now passed without any response or plan from the army. Meanwhile, ground-level testimony reveals troubling details: The IDF escorts aid trucks through the Netzarim corridor. Tanks fire warning shots to disperse the crowd. But roughly 700 meters beyond where the IDF withdraws, ‘civilians’ begin looting the trucks.
So, who is in control? Who makes the decisions? On Monday, the political echelon and top defense officials had a second discussion on the issue, which, like the prior meeting at the Southern Command, ended without concrete decisions or solutions.
