DM Katz affirms IDF will carry out political directives amid reports of disagreements between gov't and military

Ahead of a meeting of high-ranking officials that could determine the future of the Gaza War, Defense Minister Israel Katz affirmed that the military would carry out the decisions of the political echelon, despite potential objections.

In the past days, several reports indicated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to order a full takeover of the Gaza Strip, despite concerns from IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, who is expected to present the military’s warnings to the government at the meeting on Tuesday evening.

Reports of Zamir’s misgivings had led to public criticism of him by Netanyahu’s son Yair and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. In addition, the Prime Minister’s Office is said to have told Zamir to resign if he opposed the decision.

Ben Gvir demanded that “the chief of staff clarify, in his own voice, that he will fully implement the directives of the political leadership – even if a decision is made to conquer [Gaza] and defeat [Hamas].”

Katz toured the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, meeting senior officers as well as regular and reserve combat soldiers to “hear their feelings and perspectives firsthand,” his office said, ahead of the meeting scheduled for later the same day.

“Following the visit – and building on previous discussions held with the IDF General Staff – Defense Minister Katz finalized his position on the security and political steps Israel must take to achieve the war's objectives. He will present his recommendations today to Prime Minister Netanyahu and later to the Security Cabinet,” Katz’s office said.

He stressed that “Once the political echelon makes the necessary decisions, the military echelon – as it has in all theaters of this war – will professionally carry out the policy set for it.”

“Defeating Hamas in Gaza, while creating the conditions for the return of the hostages, are the central objectives of the war in Gaza, and we must take every necessary action to achieve them. Alongside this, we must ensure the safety and security of Israeli communities through a permanent IDF presence in a peripheral security zone at strategically dominant locations in Gaza,” he said.

Probably responding to Ben Gvir’s statement, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who reportedly does not favor a large operation to take over the Gaza Strip, wrote on 𝕏 that “The chief of staff is required to present his professional position to the political echelon clearly and without hesitation. I am confident that he will do so.”

“There is no need for him to clarify the military’s subordination to government decisions – that is self-evident, especially for someone who has served the country in uniform for decades,” he emphasized.

Politicians from the opposition also seized on reports of disputes between the government and the military to criticize Netanyahu’s coalition.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid stated, “I had disagreements with the chief of staff – as foreign minister, and as prime minister. Some of them weren’t easy. But one thing was clear to both of us: They must remain in the closed room. When the chief of staff knows every disagreement will leak, that people will use it for political gain, he won’t say everything he thinks. He won’t raise certain issues – and that harms the decision-making process.”

Former army chief and current Knesset Member Gadi Eisenkot agreed: “Briefings from ‘sources close to Netanyahu’ against the chief of staff during wartime. The Prime Minister’s son tweeting from afar against the chief of staff. The government dismisses the attorney general and creates a constitutional crisis. The coalition replaces the chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in order to avoid passing a draft law – all this while IDF soldiers are risking their lives in Gaza in a war that has drifted from its objectives, and while Israeli citizens kidnapped in the most serious failure in the country’s history are being abandoned to their deaths.”

“The Israeli government has long since lost its way,” he added. “With fundamentally distorted priorities, it acts against the interests of the State of Israel and is unworthy of this strong and extraordinary people.”

Benny Gantz, another former army chief, affirmed that “the chief of staff is subordinate to the political echelon, as it has always been and will be, but he is not a puppet on a string or a rubber stamp.”

“Instead of threatening and whining, perhaps it’s worth internalizing: The problem lies with the political echelon, not the military one,” he wrote.