Zamir warns Netanyahu that Gaza city assault endangers Israeli captives

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that occupying Gaza City could pose a serious threat to the lives of Israeli captives.

Zamir urged Netanyahu to accept the current prisoner exchange deal that Hamas has already approved.

This comes amid escalating pressure from the families of Israeli prisoners to proceed with a deal ensuring their release, while Netanyahu on Thursday instructed the immediate start of negotiations for their release alongside advancing the plan to occupy the remaining parts of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu’s recent comments suggest he wants the deal under new terms, while mediators still await his official response to a US proposal that Hamas has agreed to. The proposal largely matches terms Israel had previously accepted.

According to Channel 13, Zamir said during a visit to the navy base in Haifa: “There is a deal on the table, and it should be taken now.”

He added: “The army has developed the conditions for it to be completed, and the decision is now in Netanyahu’s hands.”

Although he has repeatedly opposed a ground takeover of Gaza out of concern for his soldiers, Zamir claimed that “the army is capable of seizing Gaza, but the operation could pose a severe danger to the lives of the captives.”

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