The Israeli Security Cabinet convened on Thursday night for an especially tense meeting during which it is expected to decide on the occupation of the entire Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at the start of the meeting: "I don't want to perpetuate Hamas, I want to defeat it."
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir claimed that "the hostages' lives will be in danger if we proceed with the plan to conquer Gaza — there's no way to guarantee they won't be harmed."
He described the price as one that would harm soldiers' lives, cause extreme burnout among the forces, wear out the military vehicles, and be plagued by humanitarian and sanitation issues.
The ministers disputed his position and stated that Operation Gideon's Chariots did not achieve its objectives. The Chief of Staff replied: "We created the conditions for the hostages to be returned."
Prime Minister Netanyahu clarified that "the operation is not irreversible. We are ready to consider stopping if Hamas agrees to Israel's conditions."
To this, Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded: "We need to go to the end."
In an interview with Fox News earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked if Israel would take control of all of Gaza. He answered that "we intend to, in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of [Hamas], and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone who seeks the destruction of Israel. We want to liberate ourselves and the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas."