IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that the Israeli military has approved plans for the “conquest” of Gaza as Israel is planning a significant escalation of its genocidal war.
“This morning, we approved plans for the conquest of Gaza, and now we are in Lebanon. At the same time, we are operating in Syria, Yemen, Judea and Samaria (West Bank), and monitoring events in Iran. We are in a multifront war,” Zamir said during a visit to an Israeli occupation outpost in southern Lebanon, according to The Times of Israel.
Zamir has been at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his plans to escalate in Gaza, as the IDF has been warning that it will take heavy casualties and that the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza could be killed in the offensive.
According to Israeli media, the message Netanyahu and his allies have sent to Zamir is that he had better approve the plans to take over Gaza or resign, and Netanyahu favors the total takeover of Gaza even if it means the Israeli captives could be harmed or killed.
Last week, the Israeli cabinet approved plans for the Israeli takeover of Gaza City. It’s unclear from Zamir’s comments if he meant the IDF has finalized plans for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip or if it remains limited to Gaza City.
President Trump has made clear that he will back Israel no matter what it plans to do in Gaza, despite the fact that Palestinian civilians are now starving to death every day due to the Israeli siege, and the humanitarian situation will only get worse as Israel escalates.
When asked last week if he supports the idea of the full Israeli occupation of Israel, Trump said it was “pretty much up to Israel.” Israel relies on US military aid to sustain its genocidal war in Gaza, meaning it needs US backing to escalate.
