Ministers Take Jabs at Israel's Military Chief as Gaza Plan Stokes Tension

[marble falls]

Ministers Take Jabs at Israel’s Military Chief as Gaza Plan Stokes Tension

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has pushed back against a proposal to control Gaza City, according to officials. One hard-right member of the government suggested he could be dismissed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-plan-military-government-zamir.html


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Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, in Jerusalem in March. He has been criticized over promotions of top officers and for consulting with outside advisers. Credit...Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Lara Jakes

By Lara Jakes

Lara Jakes frequently writes about the war in Gaza.
Aug. 13, 2025Updated 12:40 p.m. ET

-snip-

The commander, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the military’s chief of staff, pushed back last week against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to control Gaza City, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. General Zamir was concerned about the exhaustion and fitness of reservists, about risking the lives of Israeli hostages and about potentially tasking troops with governing millions of Palestinians, the officials said. The government’s security cabinet nonetheless approved the plan.

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He also alluded to reports that General Zamir was consulting with former officials and other outside advisers opposed to Mr. Netanyahu’s government who Mr. Katz said were intent on “stirring the pot.”

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General Zamir had earlier defended his fostering of a “culture of debate” inside the military as “a vital component of the I.D.F.’s overall culture — both internally and externally,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.

“We will continue to express our position without fear,” he noted in a statement last week. “That is the expectation we have of our commanders as well. The responsibility lies here, at this very table.

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Lia Lapidot contributed reporting from Jerusalem.

Lara Jakes, a Times reporter based in Rome, reports on conflict and diplomacy, with a focus on weapons and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. She has been a journalist for more than 30 years.



The IDF did not respond to requests for a reaction to criticism of General Zamir.

[Xoan]

1. Jabs? My

[marble falls]

2. All depends if they're wearing mittens or using Krav Maga. This is the NYT's use of words. I haven't read ...

... al Jazeera's coverage yet, but I bet it'll be less kid gloved.

The point is that even IDF isn't completely behind Netanyahu. No one is getting the complete story.