Overview
- In a Fox News interview, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed Israel’s intent to assume full military control of the Gaza Strip before transferring authority to Arab forces.
- He convened a small security cabinet meeting after a tense exchange with military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who warned that expanding operations could overstretch the armed forces.
- Senior generals Major Gens. Yaniv Asor and Tomer Bar engaged in a heated dispute over civilian casualty concerns, highlighting deep fractures within the Israel Defence Forces.
- The IDF has continued its strategic targeting of Hamas infrastructure, recently dismantling a two-kilometre tunnel in Khan Younis.
- About 50 hostages remain in Gaza and UN officials say only around 20 are believed alive, intensifying international pressure as humanitarian conditions deteriorate.