Netanyahu faces backlash over Gaza occupation plan

Israeli army chief warns that seizing the territory could prolong the war and endanger the remaining hostages

- BEL TREW IN THE WEST BANK

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing fierce pushback, including from the head of his own military, over a proposal to widen his devastating offensive and seize the remaining parts of Gaza.

Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military chief of staff, is understood to have warned the prime minister that attempting to take and hold the rest of Gaza - which the army physically withdrew from two decades ago - could corner their forces into a protracted conflict and endanger the lives of the hostages.

The warning came during a tense three-hour meeting held on Tuesday night in which they were set to decide on a strategy before a cabinet meeting today, an Israeli source briefed on the discussion told The Independent.

It is the latest voice of discontent from inside Israel, as the beleaguered premier has faced mounting pressure to wrap up the 22-month conflict, which has reportedly seen the highest death toll of Israeli soldiers in 50 years. There has also been global condemnation over a famine crisis and the rising Palestinian civilian death toll, which has pushed past 61,000 dead, according to local officials.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Mr Zamir reportedly spoke of the decision to conquer the entire territory creating a “trap in Gaza”. Israeli Channel 12 quoted Mr Zamir as saying that the extended boots-on-the-ground occupation would “significantly endanger the lives of the hostages and cause erosion in the army”.