Splits over war strategy: Israel reveals Gaza control plan

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi 

More than a year and a half after the launch of the Al-Aqsa Flood war and repeated Israeli vows to eliminate Hamas, Israel has begun implementing a new plan to assert control over the Gaza Strip. 

The Israeli army has started surrounding wide areas and evacuating civilians as part of a broader strategy to reshape the territory.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has largely agreed on the need to resume the war in Gaza, sharp divisions have emerged over how the war should proceed. 

One faction, led by Netanyahu and supported by most of his ministers, is pushing for what has been labeled "strategic pressure"—a gradual intensification of combat aimed at defeating Hamas over time.

In contrast, a more hardline group led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strook demands a full-scale military campaign. The growing rift prompted Netanyahu to call an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday night.

Caught between the two camps is a broader public sentiment in Israel, echoed by military and security officials, that is increasingly in favor of ending the war. 

As the government continues to deliberate military strategies against Hamas, it is also considering a joint Egyptian-Qatari proposal. The plan reportedly includes a five-to-seven-year ceasefire, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, an official declaration ending the war, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

However, Netanyahu and members of his coalition have shown strong resistance to the proposal, signaling continued uncertainty over how and when the conflict might end.