Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop his latest plan to seize Gaza City, calling it too weak to defeat Hamas.
The plan, approved Friday by Netanyahu’s security cabinet, would expand military operations in the Palestinian enclave. While backed by a majority, it has split the government and drawn sharp criticism abroad. Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani warned Sunday the move could trap Israeli forces in a “Vietnam” scenario of prolonged and deadly guerrilla warfare.
Smotrich, a member of the security cabinet, said in a video on X that he no longer trusted Netanyahu’s ability to secure victory over Hamas. He argued the plan was meant to push Hamas toward ceasefire talks rather than destroy the group. “More of the same,” he said, noting that Israeli troops had entered Gaza City before without eliminating Hamas.
Other far-right allies have pushed for a complete military occupation of Gaza, annexation of parts of the territory, and the removal of large numbers of Palestinians. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the Gaza City takeover plan was acceptable only if it was the first step in a broader offensive.
The military has warned against full occupation, saying it could endanger the roughly 20 hostages believed to be alive in Gaza and pull troops into drawn-out urban fighting. Italy echoed those concerns, urging Israel to listen to its generals. Tajani called for a UN mission, led by Arab nations, to help reunify the Palestinian state.
The UN Security Council was set to meet later Sunday to discuss the Israeli plan and the humanitarian situation. Gaza faces severe shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies. Israeli officials say nearly 1,900 aid truckloads were distributed last week, but the UN says needs remain far greater.
Aid delivery has also turned deadly. On Saturday, a 14-year-old boy was killed when a parachuted aid box fell on him in central Gaza, according to medics. Hamas authorities say 23 people have died in such airdrop incidents since the war began. Five more, including two children, died of malnutrition in the past day, raising the death toll from starvation to 217, local health officials said.
The conflict began October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages. Israel says 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are alive. Gaza health officials report more than 61,000 Palestinians killed since Israel’s offensive began.
On Sunday, Gaza medics said Israeli strikes killed at least six people, including four in Khan Younis and two near an aid distribution site. The military did not immediately comment.
