The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, along with representatives of the army’s leadership, recommended taking advantage of the current pressure tools to reach a deal for the release of captives, even if it is only a partial deal.

According to the report, the Chief of Staff stressed that any large-scale military operation, such as the occupation of Gaza City, would take a long time, result in losses among soldiers and captives, and place a heavy burden on reserve forces. The army emphasized that exhausting the option of a deal now may be better than launching a wide ground operation, noting that the operation to occupy Rafah did not lead to the release of captives but rather caused the deaths of both soldiers and captives.

In contrast, the newspaper reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scolded army representatives during several sessions, accusing them of exaggerating their concerns, while the military leadership believes that Netanyahu is ignoring their professional recommendations.