The security cabinet is expected to approve today the IDF’s plan to capture Gaza City. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir will present the military plan, already approved by Defense Minister Israel Katz and the relevant command levels. Senior political sources say the cabinet is likely to give the green light.
YONI BEN MENACHEM -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly ordered shorter timetables for seizing Hamas strongholds in Gaza to push for the group’s defeat. Military officials estimate most Hamas terrorists will flee Gaza City to Al-Mawasi and central camps, with only a small number staying behind to fight. The IDF plans to destroy all terror infrastructure in the city, which has served as Hamas’s seat of power.
At this stage, Israeli defense officials cannot assess whether capturing Gaza City and the central camps will compel Hamas to accept a comprehensive deal on Israel’s terms. Israel’s war goals remain unchanged: the return of all hostages—alive and dead—, dismantling Hamas’s weapons, demilitarizing Gaza, maintaining Israeli security control, and installing an alternative civilian authority not linked to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
A senior political source said U.S. President Donald Trump is pressing Israel to pursue only a comprehensive hostage deal, meaning the return of all captives. Netanyahu is keeping his position close to the chest and has not responded officially to a partial deal proposal, which Hamas has accepted.