Israeli defense, military chiefs meet to advance Gaza City occupation plan amid tensions

By Said Amouri and Tarek Chouiref

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz met Thursday with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to discuss a plan to occupy Gaza City, despite recent public disputes between the two.

The meeting at the Defense Ministry’s headquarters in Tel Aviv was also attended by senior military and security officials, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.

Israeli media reported tensions between Katz and Zamir over senior army appointments, as well as Zamir’s previous objections to the occupation plan due to the risks it could pose to the lives of Israeli captives and soldiers.

During the meeting, Katz said the army “is mobilizing all its forces and preparing with great strength” to implement last week’s decision by the Security Cabinet to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 61,700 Palestinians.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.