3/8/2025–|Last update: 14:54 (Mecca time)
Maariv newspaper revealed that Israel is facing a severe internal crisis between the political and military leaderships in light of the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip 667 days, amid indications that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliberately marginalizes the role of the Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and prevents him from presenting the army’s plans for the next stage before the mini -cabinet for security and political affairs (cabinet).
According to the newspaper’s military correspondent, Avi Ashkenazi, Zamir has been requesting a session for several days to hold the cabinet session to present plans to continue military operations, but Netanyahu refuses to do so, which leaves the army in a state of strategic ambiguity regarding the course of the war.
The correspondent notes that this situation reflects an escalating disagreement between the military and political institutions, at a time when the army has become considered that the tasks of the “Gideon vehicles” have been accomplished, and that the ball is now in the political level stadium.
“We do not know what the political level wants. We gave the full image of the situation and made it clear that we have ended our duties. Now their role is to move,” Ashkenazi quoted a senior security official as saying.
The Israeli media focuses on the escalating dispute between the Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the political level in the Netanyahu government regarding the continuation of the military operation in #GazaTo realize the army that it is unable to achieve the goals of the war#News #War of Gaza pic.twitter.com/muk7ryfvk
Al -Jazeera channel (@AjArabic) August 3, 2025
Tight circle
The security official added that the security and military establishment knows that the political level is now ready for a comprehensive deal to exchange prisoners instead of completing it in stages, but it does not know what is going on in the negotiations.
He continued, “In the past, we were partners in the details, but now the matter is managed between only two people: Netanyahu and the Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, and we know the developments from the other side through the intelligence channels.”
The military correspondent of the Ma’ariv newspaper confirmed that the atmosphere of the army leadership reflects a great frustration with the way the senior political level of the war was managing, as a prominent source was quoted as saying that the military leadership is not allowed to present the plan to the cabinet, and it does not know what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, nor where they lead the continuation of operations.
The same source told the newspaper, “The only clear thing is the position of 3 ministers in the cabinet: the Minister of Finance and the Minister of the Ministry of War in Salafel Smotrich, the Minister of Settlement Ortic Stock, and the Minister of National Security Etamar bin Ghaffir, who are publicly demanding the occupation of all the sector and the establishment of Israeli settlements in it. As for the positions of the rest of the ministers, they are not clear to us.”
According to Ashkenazi, the continued restriction of the management of sensitive files in a narrow circle that includes Netanyahu and Dermer only exacerbates the confidence crisis between the army and the government, and may reflect negatively on Israel’s ability to manage the war or achieve its declared goals.
The military correspondent believes that the absence of a clear vision places Israel in front of a crossroads under increasing internal and external pressure to reach a deal to exchange prisoners, and an unprecedented state of attrition in the army.
Breaks and war warfare
The military correspondent of the Ma’arif Avi Ashkenazi newspaper revealed that the army leadership warned that the continuation of the fighting without a clear strategy exacerbates the exhaustion of the forces, as some of the Saraya leaders have not made training since the end of the officers’ session, and lost planning and training skills, while the experience of many front units was limited to fighting in Gaza only since the outbreak of the war.
Ashkenazi also revealed that the army recently decided that any regular group will not take more than 3 continuous months of fighting inside the Gaza Strip, followed by a month of rest outside, with the aim of reducing psychological and physical exhaustion.
“These are the best sons of Israel, our spearhead, and they are draining,” a military official was quoted as saying.
The military correspondent explained that the army has prepared a new plan to confront the guerrilla warfare in Gaza, and the commander of the Southern Command, Major General Yanif Ashour, will be presented to the Chief of Staff.
The plan depends on the centenary of the forces in strategic control points, most notably the Gaza cover and the Philadelphia axis, with the aim of imposing a tight blockade on Gaza City and the centers of the population of population, intensifying air strikes, and closing tunnels, in addition to carrying out limited raids and storming against Hamas formations, with the deployment of forces in a manner that reduces their exposure to direct attacks.
Ashkenazi concludes by noting that the future of operations in Gaza will remain hostage to the political decision, but the continuation of the current dispute may deepen the gap between the military and political institutions, and may enter Israel at a more complex stage at the military and security levels.
