During a heated Cabinet meeting held Sunday night, Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs presented the official position of the political leadership: Hamas must be fully defeated, and a partial hostage deal — as proposed by Hamas — should not be accepted.
According to a report by Channel 13, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir sharply criticized the ministers for the timing of the discussion. “Good morning, everyone. You are the Cabinet of the October 7th massacre — now you remember to talk about defeating Hamas?” he said, alluding to the slow political response following the massacre.
Zamir continued, “Where were you between October 7 and October 10? You’re only remembering this now, two years later. When I took office, Gaza hadn’t been defeated — today, 70 percent of it has been.”
Mossad chief David Barnea expressed a contrasting view, warning against missing an opportunity to secure the release of Israeli hostages. “Now is the time to pursue a partial deal. We must not lose momentum,” he urged ministers, aligning with recommendations from within Israel's security forces.
Zamir countered that the recent military campaign, Operation Gideon’s Chariots, had already created favorable conditions for bringing hostages home.
MK Orit Strock (Religious Zionism) criticized the military’s approach, accusing it of spreading fear and citing a verse from Deuteronomy: “Any man who is fearful and fainthearted shall return to his home, and shall not make the heart of his brother melt as his own heart.”
Zamir retorted: “I came here for the two missions of my life — to prevent a nuclear Iran and to destroy Hamas. I’m the one who recommended action in Iran. Every morning, I review the Middle East map and authorize strikes across the region. No one here is fearful and fainthearted — not me, and not the generals beside me.”
He added, “I make decisive calls that no one else has made. I present all the implications and consequences to you. If you’re looking for blind obedience — bring someone else.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Zamir’s comments at the close of the meeting. “I don’t want blind obedience,” he said, “but I also don’t want a breach of the traditional framework.”
When ministers later requested a vote on moving forward with a partial hostage deal, Netanyahu rejected the idea, stating firmly: “A partial deal is not relevant.”