Israeli chief of staff approves Gaza occupation plan

Hebrew-language media reported that Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, has approved the main framework of the Gaza Strip occupation plan.

According to a statement from the Israeli army, Zamir approved the plan during a meeting with army staff members, representatives of the Israeli internal security agency, and other commanders.

During the discussion, the army’s actions to date, including the attack on the Zeitoun area that began yesterday (Tuesday), were presented.

The statement claims that the main concept of the plan for the next stages in Gaza was presented and approved according to political-level directives.

Meanwhile, the Hebrew-language newspaper Maariv reported that hundreds of troops, officers, and reservist commanders signed a petition asking Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the Gaza occupation plan and reach an agreement with Hamas for the release of Israeli prisoners.

The signatories of the petition emphasized that prolonging the war and expanding its scope would harm Israel’s resources.

Earlier, Hamas reacted to the approval of the Gaza occupation plan in the Israeli cabinet, stressing that approving plans to occupy Gaza City and evacuate its residents constitutes a new war crime.

Referring to the manipulation of words by the occupiers and the replacement of the term “occupation” with “control” as a clear attempt to evade legal responsibility for the consequences of their brutal crimes against civilians, Hamas stated that the decision to occupy Gaza confirms that Netanyahu, as a war criminal, and his cabinet do not care about the fate of their prisoners and are pursuing their failed political illusions.

The statement says the decision to occupy Gaza clearly explains the occupiers’ sudden withdrawal from the last round of negotiations, which was close to reaching an agreement.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Army Radio reported that the Israeli army has significantly reduced troop levels in Gaza in recent days, leaving only five divisions in the area.

According to Haaretz, the meetings convened by Netanyahu have angered families of Israeli prisoners and the deceased.

The Hebrew-language channel Kan reported that the vote to approve eight directives for 430,000 reservists was postponed due to the coalition’s failure to gather a majority.

Additionally, Hebrew-language Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu’s cabinet failed to extend the orders for calling reservists due to the lack of a majority in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.