Jerusalem, 5 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz delivered a pointed message to his army’s top commander stressing that the army must follow government directives on Tuesday. Katz’s comments came amid growing friction between the government and the Military over reports that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu now seeks to fully occupy the Gaza Strip.
“After the political echelon makes the necessary decisions, the military echelon… will professionally implement the policy that will be determined. My role as Defense Minister, in charge of the IDF, is to ensure that this is the case — and I will do so,” Katz said during a visit to an army post in the Gaza buffer zone.
He added bluntly, “I will make sure that you carry out what we decide.”
The comments follow reports that Zamir opposes a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip. Senior defense officials warn such a move could prolong the war and endanger Israeli hostages. Currently, the IDF controls about 75% of the territory. Under the reported plan, troops would seize the remaining areas of Gaza and impose full military control across the Strip.
A limited forum of government ministers is due to discuss the issue on Tuesday evening, with the wider Cabinet expected to make a decision later in the week.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar defended Zamir’s right to present his professional judgment but emphasized the army’s ultimate subordination to civilian leadership. “The Chief of Staff is required to express his professional position clearly and unequivocally,” Sa’ar said. “He is not required to clarify the subordination of the military echelon to government decisions, because this is self-evident — certainly for someone who has served the country in uniform for decades.”
Earlier in the day, Israel announced a new mechanism to gradually and carefully resume the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip through the private commercial sector on Tuesday, marking a significant shift in its humanitarian aid policy to bypass Hamas and sideline the United Nations.
“Following the Cabinet’s decision to expand the scope of humanitarian aid and following staff work formulated within the defense establishment, a mechanism was approved to resume the entry of goods through the private sector in Gaza in a gradual and controlled manner,” said Israel’s Defense Ministry in a statement. “This is with the aim of increasing the scope of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing dependence on the collection of aid by the UN and international organizations.”
A special report by The Press Service of Israel on Thursday found that according to the UN’s own numbers, a staggering 85% of the aid entering the Gaza Strip by truck since May 19 has been stolen. The investigation found that a combination of black market profiteers and inflation have made much of the aid in Gaza markets unaffordable for most Palestinians.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said that the move is aimed at boosting the volume of assistance reaching Gaza while reducing reliance on the United Nations and other international organizations. COGAT is a unit of the Israeli Defense Forces that coordinates civilian issues in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
COGAT said these merchants were approved “subject to specific criteria and thorough security screening.”
“All possible measures will be taken to prevent the involvement of the Hamas terrorist organization in the processes of bringing in and distributing the aid,” COGAT said.
Official Israeli sources told TPS-IL that the absence of commercial shipments for Gaza merchants was one of several factors behind the inflated prices of flour, fruits, vegetables, water, canned goods and other donated goods delivered by the UN and NGOs being sold in Gaza markets at inflated prices.
Palestinian sources inside Gaza told TPS-IL that much of the food in the markets originated from international aid for months — including American shipments — but is resold at inflated prices, sometimes 300%. Basic staples like flour and rice, originally meant for free distribution, are reportedly diverted to private vendors.
One Palestinian in Gaza City told TPS-IL, “The flour — when it enters Gaza, they steal it. And now they’re going to raise the price from 30 to 60 shekels [$8.80 to $17.70]. It’s unbelievable.”
The move comes amid growing international claims of famine and widespread starvation in the Strip.
“There is some hunger in Gaza, and it exists only in places Hamas is pursuing it, not in other areas,” said Professor Eytan Gilboa an expert in international relations and media at Reichman University in Herzliya.
Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
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