Growing Rift Between Netanyahu and Israeli Military Over Gaza War Strategy

Tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the nation’s military leadership have been escalating for months over the approach to the conflict in Gaza, with the dispute now becoming public.

The most pronounced disagreement surfaced when Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the armed forces, gave an uncharacteristically candid interview on Israeli television. He appeared to challenge Netanyahu’s assurances of a decisive victory over Hamas. “The idea that it is possible to destroy Hamas, to make Hamas vanish — that is throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Hagari stated.

In response, Netanyahu’s office swiftly issued a statement affirming that both the military and the government were dedicated to dismantling Hamas’s military and administrative structures.

Hagari’s comments echo a growing concern among Israeli military leaders about potentially being tasked with governing Gaza, according to a retired Israeli general.

In the international arena, tensions have also flared between Netanyahu and the United States. After Netanyahu criticized the U.S. on Tuesday for withholding certain heavy munitions, a White House spokesman described his remarks as “deeply disappointing,” highlighting the widening rift between the two allies over Israel’s war strategy.

Meanwhile, for the residents of Gaza, escape from the ongoing conflict is primarily possible through Egypt, a route fraught with complications and high costs, often requiring payments of thousands of dollars to intermediaries or an Egyptian company.