Political tensions surge in Tel Aviv over Gaza’s post-war rubble

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday the holding of a political–security meeting in Jerusalem, even as Israeli media revealed that the session took place in a highly tense atmosphere marked by serious disputes among cabinet members.

Israeli television and the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the meeting was held at a time when divisions within the cabinet over how to handle the post-war phase in the Gaza Strip have significantly widened.

According to the Walla news site, the United States has asked Israel to take responsibility for a large-scale operation to collect and remove the debris left by the war in Gaza—and to finance the costs of the effort, which are estimated to reach billions of dollars. The request comes as, according to the report, Arab states have refused to participate in funding such an undertaking.

The public broadcaster KAN reported that the meeting was fraught with tension, with disagreements peaking over how to respond to U.S. pressure to define the “day after Gaza.”

According to the broadcaster, cabinet members failed to reach a consensus on whether to accept or reject the responsibilities proposed by Washington—an issue that has become one of the main points of friction within Netanyahu’s cabinet.

Hebrew-language media added that this issue has become a central source of discord in Israel’s security cabinet, with some ministers warning that the proposed responsibilities could impose heavy economic and political costs on Tel Aviv.