Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no intention of stopping the occupation of Gaza City and is not pressing ahead to release hostages despite his recent statements to relaunch ceasefire talks, Israeli sources confirmed on Saturday.
The sources said Netanyahu is in a clash with the army in order to speed up the timetable for the occupation of Gaza, and change the name of the operation.
Israel's Channel 12 correspondent Nir Dvori reported that the army has begun preparations to occupy the city of Gaza, revealing that four brigades are already conducting exercises on the outskirts of the central city and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, the Maariv newspaper cited an unnamed military source as saying that Netanyahu is “insisting on moving forward with the offensive Gideon's Chariots 2.”
The source said: “The PM understands that without the operation, he will not be able to maintain government cohesion and it will fall apart.”
“The Israeli army is preparing seriously for a new phase of fighting,” the source added, noting that reserve forces will be gradually called up starting Sept. 2, following the summer break, to signal that the military intends to complete the operation.
According to Israel's national broadcaster Kan, the Israeli army has begun implementing Gideon's Chariots 2 plan, by stepping up its operations in the Zeitoun and Jabaliya neighborhoods of Gaza.
