Uh-oh...
This is how civil wars start.
Are the Nazionists kaput?
Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza deepens rift between government and IDF
Lorenzo Tondo
in Jerusalem
Israelis are united behind the army, and a clash with the military could have irreparable consequences for the administration
Sun 10 Aug 2025 12.00 BST
Israel’s decision to approve a plan to occupy the Gaza Strip has reportedly deepened tensions between the government and the country’s military leadership, while also exposing fresh fractures within the army’s senior ranks and straining relations with reservists summoned for what could become the most dangerous phase of the war.
According to Israeli media reports, a bruising week of leaks and public recriminations has laid bare the rift between Israel’s political leaders and its military high command.
“This is the most severe crisis in the history of relations between the political echelon and the military since the 1948 war,” said Prof Yagil Levy, the head of the Institute for the Study of Civil-Military Relations at the Open University of Israel. “Never before has the political leadership compelled the military to execute an operation it adamantly opposed.”
In the seven days leading up to the pivotal meeting of Israel’s security cabinet at which the plan was approved, the chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had repeatedly voiced his misgivings over the move to fully occupy the territory, warning that taking over Gaza would plunge Israel into a “black hole” of prolonged insurgency, humanitarian responsibility and heightened risk to hostages.
Zamir’s dissent ignited a political storm, with the son of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the army’s chief of staff of mutiny. Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, urged the chief of staff to “clearly state he will fully comply with the political leadership’s instructions, even if the decision is to occupy Gaza”.
Some Israeli reports suggested Zamir could resign.
Over the course of the war, Israel’s military and intelligence leadership has already been shaken by a series of high-profile departures: Zamir’s predecessor as chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, and the former head of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar, were both manoeuvred into resigning. Senior commanders including Aharon Haliva, Yaron Finkelman, Oded Basyuk and Eliezer Toledano have also stepped down, alongside top figures in military intelligence and the Shin Bet.
Since its founding in 1948, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been more than a military organisation; it has been woven into the country’s national identity, hailed as a near-sacred institution, the ultimate guarantor of the state’s survival and a living symbol of the collective spirit that forged the nation.
The Israeli public has long been united in its support of the army.
A clash between the military leadership and the government, analysts warn, could have irreparable consequences for public support for the Israeli administration.
A dispute between the army leadership and the government “could intensify public protest, fuelled both by concern for the hostages and by the fact that, until now, the military had provided legitimacy for continuing the war,” said Levy.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel’s largest newspapers, the military’s divisions run not only between the government and the IDF’s senior command, but also within the army’s own upper echelons.
The discontent also appears to be spreading to the rank and file. An increasing number of Israeli soldiers are refusing to return to Gaza, shaken by the heavy toll of Palestinian civilian deaths during the military offensive.
Last June, in a letter addressed to
Netanyahu, the defence minister, Israel Katz, and the head of the military, a group of 41 officers and reservists said the
government was waging an “unnecessary, eternal war” in Gaza and announced they would no longer participate in combat operations in the territory.
According to
Israel’s national broadcaster, Kan, only 60% of soldiers are showing up to reserve duty. The number includes the so-called “grey refusals” – those who cite medical conditions, invoke family obligations, or quietly leave the country during the call-up period and “forget” to check their emails.
The IDF has been approached for comment.