Media: Netanyahu refused to approve plan for ground operation in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to sign a plan for a large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip, thereby angering the military. writes The New York Times, citing sources.

“The military leadership has already finalized the invasion plan, but Mr. Netanyahu has angered senior officers by refusing to sign it, in part because he wants unanimous approval from members of the military cabinet he formed after the (Hamas) Oct. 7 attack,” the newspaper said.

According to analysts, the publication writes, Netanyahu is afraid to approve the operation unilaterally due to the decline in public trust in the current authorities. The prime minister fears that if the operation fails, all the blame for the failure will fall on him.

As the publication notes, Israel’s political leadership is concerned about issues related to possible losses among hostages, military and civilians, during the ground operation, the expansion of the conflict, as well as what exactly the declared complete destruction of Hamas will mean in practice.

“How will the Army know it has achieved this goal? This is a serious question, and I don’t think I have the opportunity to answer it right now,” IDF spokesman Richard Hecht said earlier.

The government is also considering a “less ambitious” plan, notes the NYT, which would involve a series of local attacks rather than a full-scale invasion. The military fears that Netanyahu’s stated rescue of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas blur Israel’s goals, since the fate of the hostages depends on negotiations, and the destruction of the group depends on a ground operation. On October 26, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “ostentatiously” did not name the rescue of hostages as one of Israel’s military goals, the newspaper notes.

Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7. The IDF responded by launching Operation Iron Swords, and the country declared a state of war. According to the latest data, about 8,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including more than 6,500 Palestinians. Among the dead were 23 Russians with Israeli passports, the Israeli Foreign Ministry noted. Galant previously said militants in the Gaza Strip would face a “deadly” attack that would include offensives from land, sea and air.

It was previously reported that Hamas took 222 people hostage. Among them are 15 Argentines, 12 Germans, 12 Americans, six French and six Russians, as well as 54 Thai citizens. The militant wing of the Palestinian group al-Qassam Brigades claims that almost 50 hostages were killed as a result of Israeli army strikes in the Gaza Strip.