Two documents sat at the heart of Thursday's cabinet session. The first addressed the activation of the multinational force in Gaza; the second was a roadmap spanning disarmament through to a Palestinian state.
The grave warnings voiced in the room made clear that the course of action outlined in those documents could carry fateful consequences, and ministers pressed Netanyahu to halt the process.
The head of Military Intelligence's research division, Brig. Gen. Ofir Mizrahi Rosen laid out the deception: "Hamas agreed to the 15-point document, but it has not abandoned its vision of destroying Israel. There is a clear Hamas effort to kick the ball back to us." He also warned of the danger of internationalizing the conflict, the entry of foreign forces near Israeli communities, and – critically – the inclusion of Qatar and Turkey in the multinational force's activation mechanism.
Above all, a warning was raised about the convergence of the American initiative in Gaza with the parallel process underway opposite the Palestinian Authority – a convergence whose outcome, officials said, was predictable.
"A strategic deception process"
Shin Bet Director David Zini warned in turn, "The signing event by Hamas is a strategic deception process, aimed at buying time and ensuring we do not return to operating in Gaza before the elections. There is a strategic ambush by Hamas here. There is deception here." Zini added that Hamas views the roadmap as a major diplomatic victory over Israel.
Against the backdrop of those warnings, National Security Council (NSC) head Shmuel Ben Ezra clarified that Israel had submitted amendments to the documents to the US at a meeting between the parties. Netanyahu also reiterated the unacceptable gap between the understandings reached in 2025 and the current document, saying, "We received the document after the last cabinet meeting. We have understandings from November 2025 with the US that contradict this document – the roadmap. We have submitted amendments."
Minister Zeev Elkin called for Israel to make its position on the document operationally clear – that is, to resume activity in Gaza. "If Israel does not carry out offensive activity for two weeks, it means we have accepted it and entered the process. Therefore, we need to announce that we are not signing these 15 points.
Ministers Orit Strock, Bezalel Smotrich, and Avi Dichter backed that demand and made clear to Netanyahu that there was an expectation that he would formally announce Israel's opposition to implementation. Smotrich told Netanyahu, "You are a master of navigation, but now that there is an official document, this document needs to be delegitimized. You cannot navigate your way through this."
No room for error
The NSC head said, "There is enormous pressure on Israel to enter the 14-day period, return to the yellow line, and refrain from targeted killings," despite the amendments Israel submitted regarding the implementation of this and other phases.
Dichter said, "We defined the goal of destroying Hamas – we cannot walk it back." Smotrich added, "This situation is navigating straight off a cliff. We need to say, in the most basic terms, that Hamas should not remain. It must be eliminated. Period."
Strock noted that applying the "Ramallah Law" (PA legal framework) in Gaza would amount to recognizing the legitimacy of murdering Jews. "The Ramallah Law that is supposed to apply in Gaza is antisemitic and the likes of which have not been seen since Nazi Germany," the minister said.
"Not a single day should pass without targeted killings in Gaza"
During the session, a confrontation developed between Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who said, "Not a single day should pass without targeted killings in Gaza. This is not tactical – it is strategic." In response, Netanyahu told him, "In the next 90 days, nothing will be tactical."
Ben Gvir replied, "I have been demanding targeted killings for four years – not just during these 90 days. Some people only talk before elections, but I have been demanding this every single week for four years."
The "Gaza Border Communities Forum" (umbrella body representing communities near the Gaza border) expressed its support for the cabinet members who opposed the implementation of the Gaza roadmap in its current form Thursday night, citing a clear understanding that its implementation poses a clear danger to residents of the border region and to Israel's security as a whole.
The Forum also expressed its backing for the regional council heads in the Gaza border communities who sent a letter to the cabinet opposing the reconstruction of Gaza before Hamas is dismantled. "The regional council heads are those leading the reconstruction of the border region and understand that the true foundation for our recovery is Israeli security.
"We call on the government – we will not accept any work plan that does not place Israeli security control at the center before any step toward reconstruction in Gaza. We do not reward terror – we defeat it."
