The armed forces have begun implementing the Aug. 8 decision to occupy Gaza City, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
“The Security Cabinet decided on the issue: Defeating Hamas and releasing all of our hostages, in a major effort, and the IDF has already started to carry out this decision,” the prime minister said.
The weekly meeting of the full Cabinet is scheduled to convene at 6 p.m., in a protected area, the location of which is prohibited from publication following the killing of the Houthi prime minister and other senior officials in Sanaa, Yemen, on Aug. 28.
The heads of the security establishment are expected to demand that the issue of negotiations for the release of the hostages held in Gaza be raised during the Cabinet meeting, despite Netanyahu’s rejection of a partial deal in favor of a comprehensive agreement that would return all of the captives and end the war on Israel’s terms, Channel 12 reported.
The Hebrew news outlet cited sources familiar with the details saying Netanyahu is pushing forward with an all-out invasion of Gaza City, mainly due to heavy pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has lost faith in the negotiating process.
According to one of the sources, Trump initially echoed the optimism expressed by the Qataris after Hamas returned to negotiations in July. At this point, the president though that Hamas would not release the last hostages, but backed Netanyahu and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff’s efforts to secure a renewed deal following the success of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” which brought the Islamist terrorist group back to the negotiating table.
However, Hamas hardened its stance following its public relations campaign falsely accusing Israel of intentionally starving Gazans, a claim that gained widespread support around the world. This led to the Israeli delegation leaving the Doha talks.
According to the source, “this was the moment when Trump lost patience, also because he had expressed Qatar’s optimism that ultimately turned out to be a mistake. At this point, Netanyahu said the opportunity for a deal had passed, and recalled the delegation from Doha.”
Netanyahu shifted his rhetoric toward completely defeating Hamas and pursuing only a comprehensive agreement, in contrast to the positions of senior Israeli security officials and National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, according to the N12 report. Even after Hamas later returned with a positive response to an earlier proposal for a partial deal presented by Witkoff, the American envoy declined to comment, having reportedly losing trust in the Qatari mediators and seeking to avoid embarrassing Trump.
Israeli officials believe Trump is struggling to understand why Hamas cannot be swiftly defeated. The president is urging Netanyahu to “defeat Hamas quickly.”
According to the report, Israeli defense officials believe that Trump might put a stop to the fight in Gaza City before the IDF operation is complete if he sees harsh images on television. The report also said that the Israeli military sees a low probability that Hamas will surrender after the IDF enters Gaza City and will likely not agree to the Cabinet’s terms for a deal.
“The fear in the defense establishment is that Israel will have to continue its occupation missions for a long time, without freeing the hostages. Therefore, they claim, this is the last opportunity for a deal.”
Hamas is believed to be holding 20 living hostages and another 28 bodies after Israel announced over the weekend that two bodies of Israelis were retrieved from Gaza.
