Ministers Stomach, Ben Gvir confront military chief during heated Cabinet debate on 'Operation Gideon’s Chariots 2'
Israeli far-right ministers openly advocated starving Gaza’s population during a Cabinet meeting, sparking a fierce confrontation with military chief Eyal Zamir over Israel’s ongoing war strategy, according to Israeli media reports on Sunday.
The clash unfolded during late Saturday discussions on “Operation Gideon’s Chariots 2,” a planned large-scale offensive accompanied by mass evacuations in Gaza City.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded harsher measures against Palestinians who remain.
“We ordered you (to carry out) a quick operation. In my opinion, you can besiege them. Whoever doesn’t evacuate, don’t let them. No water, no electricity - let them die of hunger or surrender. This is what we want, and you’re capable (of doing it),” Channel 12 quoted him as saying.
Zamir pushed back, warning that indiscriminate timelines were militarily unrealistic and dependent on battlefield conditions.
“We are operating in other areas, in Khan Younis and Rafah,” he said, stressing that “military realities required time and careful planning.”
The exchange escalated further when far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir intervened, accusing Zamir of hesitation, asking whether “you’re scared of the military advocate general.”
Smotrich then accused Zamir of defying political orders and blocking decisive action, saying: “This isn’t what the political leadership ordered. You don’t want to defeat [Hamas].”
Zamir retorted: “You don’t understand anything. You don’t know what a brigade or battalion is. This takes time.”
According to Channel 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior ministers, including Israel Katz and Ron Dermer, remained silent, only pointing to ‘mounting US pressure’ for rapid solutions.
The Cabinet is set to reconvene Tuesday to continue talks on the Gaza offensive and a potential prisoner exchange deal, the Times of Israel reported.
Israel has killed more than 62,600 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
