The Israeli army has warned the government that implementing its demands to demolish all of Gaza City could take several months, potentially more than a year, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City, and destroy it both above and below ground.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday warned that Gaza City “will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun if Hamas didn’t surrender, referring to the two cities that have been almost completely wiped out by the Israeli military.
Israel this week called up tens of thousands of reservists as it pressed ahead with its plan to capture Gaza’s biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians.
According to Haaretz, the Israeli military said that such a large-scale operation would cause a more severe crisis with reserve units amid falling turnout and low morale.
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The military has summoned around 60,000 reservists to report on 2 September, the Israeli newspaper reported. The majority are set to relieve regular forces in the occupied West Bank and the northern border, allowing those troops to join the Gaza City operation.
Army chief Eyal Zamir presented a plan to the government, stating that Israeli forces would not launch a major assault on Gaza City until a “humanitarian zone” is established.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that the army accelerate its offensive in Gaza City, Zamir said the operations would begin after necessary operational and legal preparations are carried out.
Tensions have been running high between the military leadership and the government over the next phase of the war.
In recent weeks, far-right Israeli ministers have increasingly clashed publicly with Zamir over Netanyahu’s plan to occupy Gaza, which the military has warned would overstretch forces and endanger the captives.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has urged Netanyahu to dismiss the army chief unless he “immediately announces that he is replacing his far-left political hive” of advisers.
“When you see who the people close to the chief of staff are, it is understandable why he is standing on his hind legs against our plan to occupy Gaza,” Ben Gvir said.
