IDF chief pushes Netanyahu to vote on hostage deal

A six-hour Israeli security cabinet hearing has revealed a split over the looming invasion of Gaza City, with the Jewish state’s top military chief pushing for a hostage exchange deal as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opts for all-out war, according to local reports.

During the closed-door overnight meeting, IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir vehemently opposed a Gaza City takeover, which he has repeatedly warned would endanger the lives of his soldiers and the remaining 48 hostages held by Hamas, the Times of Israel reported.

Netanyahu, however, rejected the general’s push to hold a vote over the current cease-fire deal on the table, which would see half of the living hostages freed and lay the groundwork for a permanent end to the war.

Netanyahu has maintained that military force is the only way to free the hostages and end Hamas, whose last stronghold is believed to be stationed in Gaza City.

Zamir reportedly told lawmakers during the meeting that the IDF has already applied enough pressure to get the hostages freed, urging them to vote on the matter.

The current deal, which Hamas agreed to on Aug.18, would see 10 living hostages freed along with the bodies of 18 dead captives to secure a 60-day cease-fire.

The deal would allow both sides time to negotiate the freedom of the remaining hostages and establish the terms for an end to the war, which is approaching its 23rd month.

While Zamir touted the deal as the way forward, Netanyahu said he would not entertain a partial release of the hostages, claiming he is facing pressure from President Trump to only accept a deal that frees everyone, according to Israeli media.

President Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has previously said that “piecemeal deals” are no longer on the table, with the US shifting focus to an “all or nothing” approach.

“Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force and finish this,” Netanyahu said, allegedly quoting Trump.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Netanyahu also went as far as to chastise Zamir for his media briefings warning against the invasion and pushing for the cease-fire deal, claiming they “undermine unity and morale,” Ynet reported.

“Debates can happen behind closed doors, but outside, there must be a united front and an iron fist,” Netanyahu allegedly told the IDF chief.

Members of Netanyahu’s far-right coalition echoed the criticism against Zamir, calling him a coward by way of a biblical quote.

“Is there anyone afraid and disheartened? Let him go back to his home, lest the courage of his comrades flag like his,” Settlements Minister Orit Strock said, according to the KAN public broadcaster.

Responding to the developments at the overnight meeting, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused Netanyahu of putting his political goals over the needs of the captives.

“Netanyahu, the father of phased releases, founder of the ‘selections’ method, opposes the method that he initiated and the agreement he already approved,” the forum said, invoking the “selections” at the Nazi death camps of World War II.

“The truth has come out: This is not a negotiation strategy, it’s a ‘torpedo’ strategy and a burial of the deal,” the group added.

“Netanyahu is sacrificing the hostages and the soldiers on the altar of his political survival, at a time when an actual deal is on the table, approved by Hamas, that could turn into a framework to return the last of the hostages and end the war.”